Unicorns & Angels: The Wings of a Warbler
by 739678
Summary: Nick and Jeff's wedding brings everyone to New York once more. It's a time for celebration, for happiness and for meeting old friends. For three angels, it's not quite that, because they know what is about to happen, and there is nothing that they can do to stop it taking place. Will their friends survive this intact, or will it trigger something even worse? Final part of trilogy.
1. Turned Upside Down

_Welcome to the final part of the Unicorns and Angels trilogy. I will post every Sunday at least from now on..._

 **Turned Upside Down**

Saturday the 28th of June 2014 began in the normal way for Finn Hudson and Kurt and Blaine Hummel-Warbler. Finn had stayed in bed slightly longer than usual as he had been assisting on a collection after an accident on the highway near Cleveland. He found them far less upsetting now than he had done when he had first been made to undertake the task shortly after his own arrival, but that was what nearly a year of doing the job did to you. He freely admitted that victims of auto accidents were his least favourite category of collectee - it brought reminders of his own death. But he had a job to carry out and his jovial easy going nature made him an ideal angel to send. He could calm small children (although afterwards he would often cry in Kurt's arms for hours); deal with teenagers, and charm the elderly with his manners, most of the time. Sometimes he took Blaine with him for that extra dapper touch; Kurt was great when it came to comforting the fashion obsessed teenage girls. Neither of them had yet had to undertake a collection on their own, but that was overdue to change. Both of them were aware of it, and had promised that they would accompany each other, at least at first. They just had to get used to it - it was part of the responsibility of being an angel after all.

Finn woke up, dressed, and headed across the hallway to Kurt and Blaine's loft. A loft so clearly sat in the heart of Manhattan, but accessed from a door on the first floor of Dalton Academy. A Dalton where the Senior Commons had a door that lead straight into the choir room at McKinley. The whole concept had confused him once, but now, he totally got it. Heaven after all was the places that you were happiest - to his stepbrother and brother-in-law, that was a combination of New York, Dalton and Lima. His thoughts stopped abruptly when he smelt the unmistakeable aroma of pancakes being made in the loft - with either blueberries or chocolate chips - and also when he was confronted by a note taped to the door, with three names written on it in handwriting he immediately recognised as belonging to his boss, Elizabeth Hummel. He pulled it free as he knocked on the door, and without waiting for an answer, entered. Sure enough, there was a stack of blueberry pancakes sitting on a plate in the middle of the table, and behind them a scene of domestic harmony that made Finn's heart light and happy. As Kurt cooked the last few pancakes, Blaine made coffee - on the table there was already a jug of juice. He greeted them warmly before heading to the fridge for butter, and to pull a bottle of maple syrup out of the adjacent cupboard. Another of the pleasures of being an angel was that you didn't have to worry about your weight.

Finn placed the note on the table, knowing that they would not worry about it until they had eaten. He took his usual seat at the table, waiting to help himself to pancakes once the others were seated, but pouring them all a glass of juice. Then they ate - Kurt eating a couple of the stack, whilst his husband and stepbrother between them demolished the remainder, smothered in butter and syrup. He shuddered at the calorie count - he knew in his head that it didn't matter, but old habits die hard. Cheesecake, now there was an exception; that and hot chocolate. He kept a close eye on Blaine; the main reason he put blueberries and chocolate chips in the pancake batter was to prevent bacon appearing with them instead - that was a treat reserved strictly for the weekend. They ate in silence - Kurt got up to fetch the coffee whilst the other two finished their pancakes. It was a sign of the big changes that had taken place in Finn that he would accept a cup of coffee. Before he had rarely drunk it - now, like the other two, he could not imagine starting the day without a latte, with just a spot of hazelnut syrup. It was whilst he was savouring his coffee that he remembered about the note.

He handed it to Kurt - it had been stuck to his door, and was from his mother after all. He took it, and after quickly draining his coffee cup, he opened it. The message inside was short and succinct - ' _Boys, I need to see the three of you today as a matter of some urgency. The time has arrived for Blaine to make his first collection, and I know that he has asked you for support. I will be in my office all morning, but the earlier that you can make it, the better. Love Mom/Elizabeth._ ' Finn laughed at the signature, as he always did. She was mom to both Kurt and Blaine these days, but she would always be Elizabeth to him - it had taken him a long time to get used to that, and even now, he would occasionally refer to her as Mrs Hummel. He stopped laughing when he realised that Blaine had tears running down his face; that Kurt, his arm wrapped tightly around him, was in much the same state. He could recall his own first time all too vividly; the knowledge that you were going to collect someone whose time on earth was now over - it was hard, no matter how long it had been since your own life had ended. He got up, and placed his arms around both of his brothers. He would be there for both of them, whatever they had to do. He owed them so much…

Elizabeth knew that they were coming long before they arrived at the door. She could sense her son all the time and the state of his heart. She was sure that at this moment, he was in pain, because Blaine was in pain. She regretted now that she had stated on the note that it was Blaine that had to make the collection - it might have been better to have waited and told them once they were here with her. 'Hindsight is a wonderful thing,' she thought. As she waited, she monitored the world, keeping an eye on six boys that were boarding a flight at Dublin airport that would return them back home to the United States after a month long tour of Europe. They had all enjoyed themselves and had created a store of good memories. They would be able to draw on them in the near future, she hoped, when… it still hurt to even think about it. They had all bonded so closely when they had lost Finn, Kurt and Blaine in swift succession. That would ensure that what was about to happen would rip through them all with the same intensity, like a sword slicing right through them. Right now, however, it was the three young men at the door she had to focus on.

They knocked, and she invited them in. She had been rehearsing what she was going to say next for four months. It never got any easier, and the reaction that she imagined never changed - it was always a deep, heart-wrenching outpouring of emotion. As they entered, she noted the red eyes of both Kurt and Blaine - she mentally congratulated herself on ensuring that there was an extra supply of tissues in the room. She motioned to them to sit down, and after they had done so, she took a deep breath and began.

"I've asked you to come here today because, as I said in my note, the time has come for Blaine to make his first collection. I have to confess something though - I did not tell you the whole truth. Both of you have ably assisted Finn on collections, and you will both be allocated a task of your own in the next fortnight. The truth is, Kurt will actually make the first ordinary collection…"

Before they could speak and voice the questions in their eyes, she continued. "During the month of February, with the distractions of the Clarington trial, I let the paperwork slide so I could support you all. At the start of March, I finally got round to checking the lists for February. As you know, they show me six months in advance who is going to be joining us. The one for the week commencing 24th August drew my attention. When I said that Blaine would be the first to make a collection, I meant the first of someone that he knew - that you all knew." With that, she pulled out the relevant list, and pushed it to them, one name highlighted amongst all the others…

There was a moment of shocked silence. Finn had read the name and instantly felt cold. This was as big as their demise all those months before. Kurt had just frozen in place, his eyes reading and re-reading the name, as if he hoped to erase it by doing so. It stayed stubbornly in place, going nowhere. All he could think was that this would be like a bomb going off in the midst of his friends, tearing them all apart in the ensuing carnage. He turned to Blaine, to find him slumped forward onto the table, a low keening noise coming from him as he processed the full horror of what he had just read. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair; it had to be stopped. It could not be allowed to happen, under any set of circumstances.

As if she was reading his mind, Elizabeth said, "It is set in stone. It cannot be altered. There is nothing that any of us can do to prevent it. I am so sorry. I hoped that it would be several years before anything like this took place…."

"When will it happen?" said Blaine, in a tone filled with despair.

"Eight weeks tomorrow - the day after Nick and Jeff's wedding," she replied.

"So soon after it…is there nothing we can do, mom? Nothing at all?" begged Kurt. His mother just shook her head sadly.

"Don't think I'm ready for this - I can't do this…" said Blaine.

"It's always a shock, when it's someone you know. But you are ready," said Finn.

"Even if he is ready, why does it have to be them?" said Kurt.

"Sometimes there is a reason why they have been chosen to die we are unaware of," said Elizabeth. "Some good, and some…"

She stopped again, unable to think of the words to finish the statement. Blinking back his tears, Blaine finished it for her. "Lousy. In this case their reasons are lousy. If anyone deserves to live, and for a long time, they do. It is wrong, so wrong. It is just going to destroy everyone all over again, especially…" Blaine stopped, and took a breath. "Are they on the lists afterwards?" he said, in a hushed voice, noticing that Kurt's face had taken on a look of horror.

Elizabeth knew exactly who he was referring to, and shook her head. "None of your other friends have appeared on the lists so far, and I don't think they will. You are in a position to give them all the support that they will need. The advantage this time around is that they can all see you - and once our new arrival has grown their wings, then they will be visible to them all too. It will be a great comfort to them, given the circumstances of their death…"

"It's not another murder, is it?" said Kurt, in shock. His mother just looked at him; he knew that she could not say anything more, and so he did not press her to.

In the aftermath, they made their way back to the loft. Elizabeth had given both Kurt and Blaine the name and identity of the first collection that they had to make, along with the date, time and location they would be required to be in to do it. They would find them a useful distraction as the days passed. They also knew that another door on the corridor would have to lead to another apartment, and they already knew which door it would be. The style of the apartment contained therein they could guess at, based on what they knew of their friend. Once they arrived, weeks of adjustment would have to take place, no doubt beginning with a period of tears, pain and distress. The worst thing about it was the timing. They would have to keep a secret for the next eight weeks; have to pretend to be happy and carefree as they helped Niff with their wedding plans. They would have to see the person that would be joining them in heaven - there was no way of avoiding it. For Finn, things were all the more difficult. He could remember the last time it had happened to him. The sheer pain of having to go and collect Blaine had almost overwhelmed him. He had barely been past the pain of his own arrival when it happened. He could still recall it, and every other moment since the day he had woken up here; since the day he had died…


	2. Finn's first day in the afterlife

_Finn looks back in time to the day he died..._

 **Finn's first day in the afterlife.**

If anyone had asked Finn Hudson how he had would like to spend his last day on earth, he would have told you that he wanted to spend it with Rachel. Maybe take in a football game - the Superbowl - and then meet the teams afterwards. He did not want to play, as that would mean less time with the love of his life. Then on to a romantic dinner for two with all of his favourite foods. Finally, the best seats in the house at a top Broadway show. He and Rachel would be engaged at least, if not already married. There would be no issues with the weather, no hassles or gripes to spoil anything. Then home to spend the remainder of the day with his mom, Burt, Kurt and Blaine, the latter two just as happy as him and Rachel. A pretty perfect day, all in all.

Of course, life does not give you what you want, anymore than it gives most people a warning of the moment of their impending demise.

His last day was mundane, like so many others. He was juggling his studies at college with being a part time coach for the New Directions. He didn't like to admit it, but the pressure of it all was getting too much for him, so much so that he had to ask Mr Schue to let him take a step back from the latter for a while. It would all be worth it though when he got to be what he wanted to be. After so much searching, he had finally found his purpose in life - to teach. He saw a future for himself where he could inspire other people in the way that he had been inspired. But you didn't achieve your goals without making sacrifices. He had been unable to be there for Blaine's proposal for Kurt as he had two papers to write, and a practical session at school that he could not escape, however much he had begged. He had Artie primed though to send him a text the minute that Kurt gave Blaine his answer - the moment that he got that he was straight on the phone to Kurt, to congratulate his 'little brother.' He had seen the video footage that night and he had cried. It was so over the top that it was perfection. He had already been asked to be Kurt's best man. That done, it was back to work, fitting in a shift with Burt at the garage. He insisted on paying him a full time wage, even though he was rarely there - he felt he owed his stepfather to put in the hours when he could. Not long after Kurt got engaged, Burt had told him to bring in his car for a full service. That kept him in Lima for the whole day - he had spent it with Puck, catching up on life; then after school finished, they were joined by Sam, Blaine and Artie. They had ended up playing a series of video games. That had been a good day.

He didn't know it at the time, but that would be the last 'good day' of his life.

He had driven through to Columbus as a favour to a friend at college. She had needed a lift home - her car had been in the garage, and although she could easily get a lift back, she had no means of getting there. He liked Lori - she was a good friend, and he could quite easily have fallen for her if Rachel had not still been in the equation, and if she herself had made it plain she was not interested in him as anything other than a friend. Which was cool. Once there, he stopped at a store that Kurt had suggested, and picked up a gift for Rachel. He had decided that he was going to head to New York that weekend to see her. If Blaine could win back Kurt, then surely he could do the same with Rachel - after all, he missed her, and what had happened on Valentines Day was a sign that they still cared for each other? By then it was getting late, and the rain that had begun to fall as they had left Lima was getting heavier. He was heading back home that night, his mom expecting him for dinner. He was not far from Lima when he realised that he needed to find a rest stop. He pulled in to the first one he saw, and ran across the more or less deserted car park. He did what he needed to do, then before he headed back out into the now nearly torrential rain, he sent two texts - one to his mom, to say that he was on his way and would be home within an hour; and one to Rachel, saying that he was going to come to New York that weekend - he signed off with a kiss. Then it was back to the car, running across the car park to avoid getting totally soaked.

As he pulled away, he thought he saw something glisten in the damp that had been below his car. He thought nothing of it and just drove on. He thought nothing either of the car that followed him out of the car park; that tailed him onto the freeway, and forced him to speed up. Nothing of it until it was too late….

Even now, he could still replay it all in his head in slow motion. His relief as the other car finally signalled to pass him. As the other car passed him, he caught a glimpse of the driver - he looked familiar, but he couldn't place him. Then the other car was cutting in right in front of him, and its brake lights came on. Finn cursed, and pumped the brake pedal - and nothing happened. No jolt as the brake engaged. No drop in momentum. He carried on, at speed, his tyres now locking on the soaking road surface. In retrospect, he should have just crashed into the back of the other car, but his first thought was to steer himself out of the way, yanking the wheel to the left. The car in front copied his movement seconds later. He had no choice but to swerve right, the wheels of his car now so unresponsive. This time he saw the pillar looming up right in front of him. He knew at once that it would stop his car. He also knew what the consequences would be. But there was no time to do anything else. No options left. He could hear his phone buzz, and he knew that it was a reply from Rachel without even looking at it.

'I love you Rachel. I'm so sorry,' he thought as time slowed to a crawl. 'Kurt, be happy with Blaine. Take care of each other, and of Rachel. Puck, look after my mom. Burt, I'm so sorry, I love you all so much. Mom, I love you mom….' and then the front of the car was crumpling; the windscreen shattering, sending glass flying into his face, his eyes - and before the airbag could deploy, a large shard of glass ripped open his throat. As blood poured from the wound, his last thought was 'It hurts mommy. It hurts. I love you all…. I'm sorry….' Then the world faded to a silent black.

He came round slowly. Everything was fuzzy. There was complete silence apart from the odd footstep in the distance. He realised that he was lying on a bed of some sort. On top of it, not under any covers. 'Am I in hospital?' he thought. 'How could I have survived…' Then he realised that he still had his shoes on; he was still dressed. He opened his eyes to see the pair of Converse he had been wearing still on his feet. The same jeans, shirt and jacket. All looking far cleaner and newer than he remembered them to be. The room was white, with no windows that he could see. The bed was a good sized double. He turned over to look in the other direction for anything he could recognise. Sat by the side of the bed was a woman in a well cut grey suit, a brooch pinned on her jacket. He knew her from somewhere, like the guy in the other car earlier…. Hunter Clarington! He had been run off the road by the disgraced former captain of the Warblers. The guy that he had helped to have exposed and kicked out for cheating. He felt cold at the thought. It had been no accident. He had been forced off the road. The only thing that bothered him was why his brakes had failed. If they had worked then he could have stopped…

"He cut them." The voice startled him in the silent room. He turned back to stare at the woman, her voice almost a familiar one. Almost. She was looking at him with blue eyes, that were so sad. He knew her from somewhere. He did… "I'm afraid that he was out for revenge for what happened. You reported him to the show choir authorities, and so that put you at the top of his hit list, Finn. He is going to go after the others that he felt stabbed him in the back. And I'm afraid that you and I are powerless to stop him hurting the people we love even more."

She sounded on the verge of tears - he looked again, straight into those moist blue eyes. 'Think Finn, think. You have seen her before.' He closed his eyes and dug into the recesses of his brain - and saw a silver photo frame. Sitting on the dresser in Kurt's old room. He gasped and his eyes popped open. "Mrs Hummel?" he stuttered.

"Yes Finn. But please, call me Elizabeth."

For Finn, the next few minutes would be some of the hardest he had ever had to endure, because they confirmed to him what he had pretty much guessed. If he was lying on a bed, fully clothed, with Kurt's mom at his bedside, then he was dead. He knew that given what had happened to him on the freeway, his chances of survival had been pretty much nil. He had managed to cling to a tiny sliver of hope up until that point. That somehow, by some miracle, he had survived it.

All he could think of was his mom….

He wanted her to come and make it alright, like she always did. But she couldn't help him this time. He didn't even realise he was crying until he felt the handkerchief on his face, as Elizabeth tried to dry his tears. She helped him to sit up, and wrapped her arms around him. Her arms felt warm and safe. Like his mom's. And that made him cry all the harder. He sobbed his heart out, his head on her shoulder, ignoring the nagging pain he was beginning to feel in his back. She was singing to him so softly, he realised. The same song that he had heard Kurt sing quietly to himself when he was upset. He had always said that it was the one his mother sang to him. Now, Elizabeth Hummel was singing it to him as his heart broke: for his mom, Rachel, Kurt, Burt, and all of his friends. This would kill Puck; would leave Sam and Blaine in pieces. It would rip the New directions apart. And worst of all, it was murder. He had been murdered.

He didn't know how long she held him, or how long he had cried. Eventually, his tears stopped, and he pulled himself carefully out of her arms. She smiled at him, and then spoke. "I have been here for a decade, and until now, there has been no-one close to my family arrived. I guess that we have all been lucky until now. I work in the office of collections for Ohio, and have worked my way up to a senior role. One of my jobs is to scan through the lists that we receive, six months in advance, to seek out any relatives or close friends of the angels in my charge; then, I assign an angel to collect each person on the list. When I saw the name _Hudson, Finnegan Christopher; Lima; Ohio_ , it was a shock. Things were not going well for all of you at that point. You had just been discharged from the army, Rachel was in trouble, and Kurt was pushing Blaine away. Then came the break-ups. Finally, to crown it all, Burt got cancer. When I saw your name, it felt like the worst day of my life. I delved into the case - found out that it was to take place on the freeway, but that it was to be a murder… I also knew who the killer was going to be. I had to live with that knowledge as I watched you all, and it put a damper on the good moments, let me tell you. I decided that when the time came, I would collect you myself. After all, your mom has taken such good care of my boys - the least I can do is take care of hers."

"What happens now Finn is up to you. We can stay here, and not look; or we can go to earth and see all of your loved ones find out what has happened. It is your decision. Some people say that it is better to see, others want to avoid it. It is your choice."

"I want to see my mom," said Finn, in a whisper.

"Ok, take my hand, and we will go. Just remember, they can't see you…"

Finn took her hand, and the next thing he knew, he was in Lima, in the lounge at home. His mom was fretting to Burt as she stood in the doorway, worrying about the fact he was late. There was a knock at the front door, and Carole headed into the hallway, Finn following right behind. She was muttering something about him losing his key again.

She opened the door to the sheriff and one of his deputies. They were holding their hats in their hands….and his mom started to scream before they said a word. As a nurse, she had seen them like that so many times when an accident victim didn't make it. Burt ran into the hall, just in time to grab Carole as she slumped to the floor. He was crying himself, barely hearing the words "accident", "mortuary" and "So darn sorry Burt." All Finn could see was Burt holding his mom as she wailed, broken by a pain that was unbearable - the loss of her only child.

Finn couldn't watch any longer as his mom fell apart in Burt's arms. Elizabeth sensed this, and before he knew it, he was standing in the loft at Bushwick, watching as Kurt closed down a Skype chat with Blaine. He could hear Rachel singing to herself in her room. He knew that any moment now, Kurt's phone, sitting there on the table, would start to buzz with an incoming call, and the word 'Dad' would appear on the screen. He knew that the happy domestic scene in front of him would be shattered.

It was still a shock when it did; to watch Kurt pick it up and greet his dad cheerfully; to see his face fall as Burt told him why he was calling. To see his little brother try desperately not to fall apart, knowing that he had to break the news to Rachel. He hung up, closed his eyes, and took several deep breaths, then called for Rachel. As she fell apart after Kurt told her, Finn found himself collapsing into Elizabeth's arms once again. When Kurt began to sob too, it was almost too much for him to bear. Almost. He kept watching as Kurt tried to comfort Rachel and book them flights home at the same time. Then Santana arrived - when Kurt told her, her usual bitch act dropped, and she held Rachel as Kurt went to pack for them both. He followed him into his room, where out of sight and hearing of the two girls, he called Blaine. No sonner had the news been imparted, than he began to cry again - and Finn could hear tears at the other end of the line too, intermingled with promises of help and expressions of love. Then Kurt and Rachel left - and less than a minute later, Santana was curled up in a ball on the sofa, her body wracked by aching sobs.

Then they moved again, and Finn found himself looking at Puck, listening to him as Emma told him the news. He could hear Mr Schue sobbing in the background to her call. Puck refused to believe what he was being told - he didn't want to, and he was off, tearing out the door to head to the hospital. He flashed through the other members of the New Directions; Artie and Sam by chance together, a game marathon turned into a tear fest, Artie cradling Sam as the broken boy wept; Tina sobbing bitterly in her mother's arms; Mike blinking back tears in his dorm room in Chicago; Quinn crying like a baby in her room at Yale; Mercedes praying for him in L.A.; even the hard faced Kitty Wilde was shedding tears.

Then he was at the hospital, in a corridor, his mom slumped in a chair by a door labelled Mortuary. He could hear voices, slightly raised - he recognised them as Burt and Puck, the latter still in denial as he appeared around the corner. The sound of his voice caused Carole to look up at him. One look at her face was enough to convince Puck, to make him stumble forward and collapse in a heap at her side, sobbing his heart out. The sight of his best friend like that was the thing that shattered Finn more than anything else. He had never expected to see Puck break. All he wanted to do at that moment was go to him, hug him, and tell him he was ok. The fact that he couldn't was more upsetting than being dead.

That was the last thing he saw that night. He was glad for that, as he felt so drained, and the pain in his back was getting worse. He let Elizabeth take him back to the room he had been in before. There were pyjamas laid out on the bed and she left him to get changed into them. He recognised them almost the minute that he was alone - they were identical to the set that he had back home… Once in them, he crawled beneath the sheets - and stared as the once white duvet cover changed to a familiar shade of blue. Then Elizabeth was back, carrying a mug of hot milk.

"I seem to remember that this helps you to sleep. It's been a very long and stressful day for you, and tomorrow won't be much easier. There are rules that I need to tell you, and a few other things that I need to explain. Anyway, I will say goodnight, Finn." She bent over the bed and kissed him on the forehead, before leaving him to sip his hot milk. It was spiced in just the way that Kurt had always made it for him. That last bit of comfort allowed him to drift off to sleep.


	3. Finn gets his wings

_Ok, so this chapter is a little early - I will be away from the internet all day tomorrow, so I am posting now, rather than leave all my readers hanging on. I hope you enjoy the next chapter of Finn's story. Thanks as ever for reading..._

 **Finn gets his wings**

The next few days would be a blur for Finn. The rules turned out to be simple enough and similar to those he already knew. He was not that shocked to discover that heaven was divided into the same states as the world, but without the conflicts and minor arguments that plagued the earth. He had woken that first morning and had jolted in shock as he realised that he was in a room which was an almost exact replica of his room in Lima - everything from his posters to that faggy lamp that he and Kurt had argued over all those years before was in its correct place. He didn't think for one second though that it had all been a horrible nightmare, and he was waking up back home. The pain in his back was much worse; the empty mug that had contained his warm milk was still on the nightstand, and it was too quiet. Far too quiet. He made his way out of bed, and opened the top drawer in the chest under the window out of habit. He was not surprised to find that everything was exactly where it should be. He dressed slowly and was just slipping his Converse back on, his back almost screaming at him as he bent it, when there was a gentle knock at the door. It was Elizabeth, telling him that his breakfast was ready - pancakes, toast and bacon. He followed her, his back aching all the more with each step. After he had eaten, he mentioned his pain to her. Her response was short and to the point.

"I'm afraid that is the one drawback about your first few days of being here, my dear. You are in pain because you are growing your wings."

Wings were a completely new concept for an ordinary guy from Ohio. He believed in God, in angels and all of it, but the revelation that he was to be an angel was a shock. He would never in a million years have thought that he was good enough to qualify for that status. Kurt, yeah, no question. Him, less certain. But there we go, everyone gets their chance. After his breakfast that morning, he returned to bed under Elizabeth's strict orders. She explained how his room had morphed into his old one from Lima. He could create the spaces in which he was happy and comfortable for his own. He could create the whole of the Hummel-Hudson house if he wished, once he was more comfortable and settled.

"So I could create the choir room at McKinley?" he asked.

"Yes, no problem. But there will be time for all that once your wings have grown in. The important thing for you now is rest. I will be here, by your side, until the whole process is over…"

True to her word, she stayed there as his pain intensified to a point where he thought that his spine was actually fracturing; where he begged her to stop it, as she held him in her arms, and dried his tears. It was the worst pain he had ever known, but somehow, held in her arms, listening to her sing that same old song over and over again, he didn't feel as bad as he might have done.

Then on his third morning, he woke up to a complete absence of pain. He felt as if he was back to normal. He rose and stepped over to the mirror to try and examine his back. It did not seem altered in any way, and for a moment he thought that the process had failed - he had not been deemed worthy after all, and was not angelic material. He dressed and made his way downstairs to the kitchen. It was only as he entered the room that he realised that he was back home. Everything around him was in place, and the only thing missing from the kitchen was his family. Elizabeth was there instead, making him scrambled eggs and a grilled cheese.

"Breakfast first Finn, then we can work on your wing skills. I take it you are no longer in pain? I suspected as much…"

He ate, and then Elizabeth walked him through to the living room. She explained what he needed to do to unfurl them; stopped him from taking off his shirt, as that was unnecessary. He followed her instructions, and he suddenly felt something popping out of his back - something big. He looked at Elizabeth, who was smiling broadly, and she took his arm and helped him to the mirror in the hallway. What he saw both scared and delighted him. Rising behind him were a pair of light brown wings, almost scraping the ceiling of the house. He gazed at them in awe. Wings equalled flight. He was going to be able to fly. It was so cool, and yet so darn scary.

"Normally, we would move on to your flying lessons right now, but in your case there is something that we need to do first, if you wish. Today is the day of your funeral. You have a choice of attending it, or not. I does help you to gain closure. I know that seeing mine did. If however you would rather not go, then we can make a start on your flying lessons. It's your decision." Finn already knew what he wanted to do.

The church was full; the last time that he had been there had been for his mom's wedding to Burt. That had been such a happy day. Now he watched from the back as a coffin carrying his body was borne into the church by his friends and family. He listened to the readings and songs, all the time keeping a close eye on his closest friends. He was happy to see them all here - he even noticed Matt Rutherford sitting near the back, next to Azimo and Karofsky of all people. Coach Bieste was there, in tears, sat next to the Schuesters and Sue Sylvester. The whole of the New Directions, old and new, sat at the front in black. Behind them he noticed four Warblers - Nick, Jeff, Trent and Sebastian. He knew exactly why they were there, but he doubted that most other people did. Most of them made the trip to the cemetery afterwards, to stand at his graveside. He noticed all the little things that in the past he would have been oblivious to; Jeff gripping Nick's hand so tightly; Mr Schue trying so hard not to cry, whilst next to him, Sue Sylvester was shedding a tear. He also noticed the tight group of people right by the grave - his mom, sandwiched between Burt and Kurt, and still crying so hard. On the opposite side of Kurt stood Blaine, his entire attention focused on Kurt and his needs. He looked as if he hadn't slept properly since the news had broken. Next to Burt stood Rachel, in almost as much of a state as his mom; and finally, next to her, Puck. His best friend just looked so shattered, as if the whole world had come to an end. It broke his heart to see them all, and he had to try so hard to not just run over to them, to shout at them that he was ok, he was with Elizabeth, he had wings - all he could do was watch.

Then it was all over; Puck helped Rachel away, calling on Sam for help - the blond boy also looked completely drained. Kurt and Blaine escorted Carole away, still sobbing, if anything worse now. Burt stood alone now by the grave, as everyone else drifted away, Santana having to drag Brittany away - the blonde girl had been staring open mouthed in his direction. Once the place was clear, Burt lifted his head, and looked right at them.

"Hello, Lizzie. You taking good care of Finn? I had hoped that it would be you when I found out…"

Finn turned to Elizabeth, startled. "Burt can see us? He can see us? How?"

"He believes in angels, in love, in redemption. He saw me for the first time about two weeks after I died. Kurt never has I'm afraid….he never did have a lot of belief in the supernatural. I think he can feel my presence when he is stressed. But yes, Burt can see me. I didn't know if he would be able to see you, so I said nothing."

"I can see him. I'm so sorry kid. I must have missed something when I did that service. I will never forgive myself for that. Look after him, Lizzie. He has left an enormous hole in everyone's heart. Look, I need to go, be there for Carole… I'm sorry Finn, just keep coming back, please. Maybe, one day, someone else might see you…"

Then he was gone. Elizabeth turned to Finn and smiled. "You passed your first test there. You could have blurted out that it wasn't his fault, that you were run off the road by that boy. But you didn't." Finn nodded - he had been warned that he could not tell anyone the truth if somehow someone one earth saw him, could communicate with him. That would be a severe infraction of the rules, resulting in only one thing - the loss of wings, and a decent to hell. That could not be allowed to happen. "By the way," Elizabeth added. "I think that someone else might have seen us. I think that one of your old friends is more special than you all give her credit for…"

After the funeral, the hard work began - learning to fly and how to take care of his wings. Finn had never been as careful of his appearance as say Kurt, or even Sam; Elizabeth knew this, and took a great length of time to teach him all the things he needed to do to ensure that his wings remained in fine working order. It was quite out of character for Finn to preen himself, but he learnt to - at the same time, he realised that he really should pay more attention to his hair, his skin and his nails - 'Kurt would be proud of me,' he thought. All the wing care was simple compared to the actual flying part. Flying it seemed was a lot like learning to drive - if he let his concentration lapse for even a second, he would find himself plummeting towards the ground. At least there were no mailmen in the sky to crash headlong into. Elizabeth had anticipated that he might struggle at first, and without telling him, had allocated far longer than normal to teach him.

One morning, Finn found himself alone for the first time. Elizabeth had left him a note saying that she had to attend an emergency meeting with her boss - the night before she had been looking through her paperwork, had gasped, and then had spent the rest of the evening looking unhappy for the first time since Finn had arrived. He knew she was upset about something, but he did not feel it was his place to ask - he just hoped he wasn't the cause of the problem. Left to his own devices, Finn decided to practice his flying - on his own, and without the pressure of an audience, he finally cracked it. He found himself soaring through the sky, enjoying the feeling of the air rushing past him. He lost himself in flight, swooping and soaring without even giving it a second thought. That seemed to be the trick for Finn - not over thinking. He stayed in the air for two hours without even realising it; Elizabeth was waiting for him when he landed, almost perfectly. She had been waiting and watching for the last 30 minutes. When he saw her, he wanted to shout about how he had finally done it - but she still looked so sad, worse even. So instead he instinctively took her into his arms. The fact that she promptly burst into tears startled him, but all he could do was offer her comfort. She refused to tell him what was wrong then - she would only finally do so in August…

The day after his triumphant first flight, he found himself watching from the corner of the choir room as his oldest friends paid tribute to him. There were several shocks to the system - Santana's breakdown for starters. He had never realised just how much he meant to her. That Mike should be the first to try and comfort her was not a shock at all. He had always been the one with the big heart - silent and in the background a lot of the time, but good at spotting other people's emotions. He had been truly blessed to have had him as a friend. He had watched him one night, not long after the funeral, when he was alone. He had switched off his phone and sat by the light of a solitary candle, looking through all the old photographs from his days in New Directions. When Mike had finally allowed his tears to flow, and had wailed, it had nearly broken Finn's heart. Now, he was his normal self, strong and helpful, and back to being a rock for the emotional Tina, alongside Artie. When Rachel appeared and sang, it had made his heart ache anew. He watched as Sam buried his face in Santana's shoulders - who would ever have imagined her being there for him? The new kids, his kids, were all upset too, Marley in particular, though she was doing a good job of not showing it. And finally, Blaine began to fall apart. He had been through so much this year, they all had - and he had been there to support them through it all. Now he was gone, and yes, Mr Schue would do his best, but it would not be exactly the same for any of them. He knew their weak spots, and he had been in their position far more recently. They would be there for each other, of course. They would be there for each other of course - they were a team after all. But he couldn't help but notice the two significant absentees in the room - Quinn and Brittany. He knew what they were doing, and why they were not there.

Quinn had taken his death hard, far harder than anyone realised. They had always been close - they had been a couple after all, and she had never really stopped loving him. Sam had been a distraction, and as for Puck - well she liked him a lot, but he was just far more unstable in his lifestyle. If he settled to something, then he would be perfect. Finn would always have a special spot in her heart. He had stood by her when she had fallen pregnant, in the belief that the child was his - even when he found out that it wasn't, he had gotten over his initial anger in time and had been there to support her, and forgive her. At the funeral, she had shed tears in the midst of the Unholy Trinity. They got her pain, but Rachel wouldn't. She was his soulmate. She was the one that should be the centre of attention at the memorial, not her. So she had stayed away - had sat in the college chapel instead, and said prayers for Finn. She had spoken to Kurt, and he understood why she was doing it. He appreciated that she would do something like that to spare Rachel.

Santana had been told by Brittany that she could not come as she was being held captive by the math professors at M.I.T. when Kurt heard this, he had been extremely upset that they would not let her attend, and Santana had threatened to turn up and go all Lima Heights on them. Brittany had insisted that even that would not get them to change their minds. If she antagonised them, they might make things even worse. There was of course another reason why she stayed away. She had seen Finn at his funeral, in the company of a woman - and both of them had wings. Lord Tubbington had told her that he must be an angel now, and she really liked the idea. But it still scared her, because no-one else could see him. She knew that if she went to the memorial and he was standing there, she would shout out about it, and everyone would treat her as if she was stupid. So she stayed away to be on the safe side. Finn knew how she felt, and it made it ok to him, even if others asked where she was. That day, as the gathering in Lima had broken up, Finn had made his way to Brittany. He had sat there and they had talked, both agreeing it must stay their secret, for now. Finn was just glad that he had one old friend he could still talk to.


	4. There can be Hell in Heaven

_Yes, I am early. Had a bit of a writer's block with the story, and didn't want to risk twice a week until it ended. Well, things are better now, so at the moment my plan is to update on Wednesday/Thursday and Sunday. Hopefully I can achieve that for you all. Thanks in advance for reading as always._

 **There can be Hell in Heaven…**

As spring turned into summer that year, Finn's life began to alter in a variety of ways. He became much more comfortable with his wings for starters - he made up a grooming routine for himself and he stuck to it, taking great pride in his appearance. His hair was neater, and his wardrobe changed. His old familiar Converse trainers were retired to be replaced by a pair of Chelsea boots in soft black leather. The jacket, shirt and tie combo he had begun to wear as a teaching assistant to Mr Schue at McKinley stayed, but the cut of the jacket was much better, and it was paired more often than not with a pair of matching trousers. This alteration in his outfits coincided with an increase in the amount of responsibility that he had. As with all new angels, his first few months were for relaxation - after that, he had to begin to work. He was assigned to join Elizabeth's team of collectors, in some ways becoming an assistant of sorts to her. He had begun initially just by helping her out when new souls arrived. It had begun unplanned on one particularly busy day, when a school bus crashed, and several young people arrived at once. Finn had offered to help, and he found that he had a natural ability to relate to younger people. He could talk to them, calm them down and help them deal with the emotions that they felt. As Sue Sylvester herself had said, it was this ability that would have made him a good teacher - he could relate to them on a level that they understood.

He was also kept busy with expanding his world beyond the limits of the Hummel-Hudson house. He created for himself a carbon copy of the choir room at McKinley, then proceeded to create the auditorium, although both rooms felt empty with none of his friends around. He knew that one day, they would start to arrive, and when they did, he wanted familiar places ready for them. To that end, he also recreated Breadstix, which he had to admit was kind of weird with no staff or customers in it. The same could be said of his next creation - he had suddenly felt compelled to recreate the Lima Bean. For some reason, the smell of coffee now reminded him of his much missed little brother.

He kept returning to the world, to watch from the sidelines as the big events happened in the lives of his old friends. He was so proud when Rachel was given the role of Fanny Brice in _Funny Girl_ , though it made him so sad that he was unable to tell her that in person. He had shared the collective disappointment of the New Directions when they had lost out of a second consecutive title at Nationals in L.A. He had watched with something akin to parental pride as Blaine, Tina, Artie, Sam and of course, thanks to Santana, Brittany graduated. He had sat and wished Puck all the luck in the world when he had applied to join the Air Force, and was happy when he was accepted. He was as pleased as everyone else when he returned to McKinley as the New Directions were shut down and defended Quinn from her highly unsuitable new boyfriend. On the minus side, he had wept as he watched the choir room being dismantled at the behest of Sue, until the moment when Sam accidentally smacked Tina in the head with the trophy. After that, he had laughed so hard and for so long that he was convinced that someone would hear him. As the summer took hold, he sat in the corner of the loft and watched as a highly domestic Klaine settled into their lives together.

The only time he felt uneasy was when Brittany was around. He knew that she could see him, which was, in some ways, nice. She alone could see how much he had changed since dying. He was sure that he heard her say "The new look really suits you" as she walked out of the room one golden afternoon. He also enjoyed their little chats - he had never been that close to her when he was alive, but once you realised that the stuff about Lord Tubbington was reference to another spirit that she could see, it all made sense. One afternoon, he had actually met him, and even though he came from a different century, he did seem like an interesting guy.

Finn had rushed to tell Elizabeth on the day that he had been in the loft to hear Kurt and Blaine announce their wedding date. The fact that it was so soon was shocking, but nonetheless, he had jumped for joy, and he was sure that she would be happy too. She had been so pleased that they were engaged after all. As he told her the date, he couldn't fail to notice that she sighed, and that her eyes seemed to get just a little sadder. She had obviously noticed that he had observed this, because she told him to take a seat…

"Finn, as you are aware, I receive a list of those within my jurisdiction who are scheduled to die six months in advance of the actual date. I knew that you were coming here long before Sectionals; before you and Rachel had split up; before Kurt and Blaine got into difficulties. There isn't an easy way to say this… You will recall the day that you finally mastered flight, I had to go to an emergency meeting with my superiors. They met with me after I had made a request for an appeal against a name on the list that I received just after you arrived. You see, I saw one name, and then I saw the second one below it. And I refused to just blithely accept it. I couldn't understand it, and was prepared to do anything to alter it; to prevent it. I knew in my heart that it was pointless, that the lists are solid and can only be changed in the most exceptional of circumstances, but I had to try. They were sympathetic, but there was nothing that could be done."

She paused, to take a breath, and then started again. "We will be getting company the day before the wedding is scheduled…" She stopped, and looked at the confused expression on Finn's face. "Hunter is moving on to his next victim, and in this case there will be collateral damage - an innocent in that whole affair will also perish. The next victim will be…" She stopped again, this time unable to say the words. Instead, she pushed the page from the list over towards Finn, and pointed at the two highlighted names…

Finn read - and hoped that he had misread. But no, there it was in black and white - two names that he knew and had hoped not to see on this list for a very long time. Kurt Elizabeth Hummel and Blaine Devon Anderson, New York, New York. He felt cold, sick and heartbroken. He wanted to run, to scream, to do anything at all to stop it. But he knew that he couldn't, and all that would happen if he went to either Burt or Brittany, to tell them that his death was no accident, that Hunter had murdered him and was about to kill Kurt and Blaine, was that he would fall from heaven, and lose them all forever. It wouldn't even stop things happening - if he knew that it would, he would have rushed to them right away - his life was not important if he could have saved the lives of his brother and Blaine.

He hardly heard Elizabeth start speaking again. "I'm so sorry Finn. I don't want them to come here any more than you do. All we can do is make it as easy for them as possible. They will be arriving at the same time - I will be collecting Kurt myself, of course, and I feel that you are ready enough now to come with me and be the one that collects Blaine. They will both benefit from a familiar face to ease their pain and trauma. If it is any sort of consolation, they will be the final victims of Hunter - he will slip up, and the whole of his scheme will come out."

"That's great, but it will be too late for Kurt and Blaine. This is going to destroy them all. My mom and Burt are barely through the pain of losing me, and now they are going to lose the other two boys they think of as their sons. When it all comes out that Hunter is behind all of this, Sam will feel so guilty, and blame himself for starting all of this mess. Because that is what this is - a mess…." Elizabeth could only nod in agreement, before reaching across the desk to clasp his hand.

So began one of the toughest times that Finn had ever known. He was grateful that most of his friends could not see him - he made a point of avoiding Burt and Brittany at all times. He knew what the forthcoming events would do to the former, and he wasn't sure that if he saw him, he would be able to stop himself saying anything. He had to stand and watch as preparations were made for a wedding that was doomed never to happen. He stood behind Puck as he sat at a tiny desk in his room at the air base, and read his best man's speech - which was just off-colour enough to be satisfactory - knowing full well that he would never make it. He watched as Rachel schemed with the others to arrange a surprise gift for the newlyweds that would never be presented. It all became far too painful.

So Elizabeth kept him busy, taking him out with her on more collections than before, so that he would be well versed in all the drill and procedures, when the time came. She even let him fly solo for the first time, to bring a young girl who had succumbed to leukaemia to heaven. He managed it without messing up, or breaking down altogether. It was all practice for the big event. All too soon, the day in question came. This time he felt strangely compelled to watch Kurt and Blaine in their domestic bliss one final time. He sat in the loft until they left for the party, just watching the minute details of their life together. When they had gone, he allowed himself a few minutes to just cry, then returned to wait with a tense Elizabeth. Nothing could be allowed to go wrong tonight, not for her son and his fiancé. Everyone had a role, and they had to play it. Finn just hoped that his emotions would not get the better of him, and cause him to screw up…

It hadn't been him that messed up that night - it had been another angel by the name of Charlie, that had neglected the one simple task that he had been given. Suddenly, Finn had no-one to collect. Elizabeth had lost it completely. Finn had never seen her angry before, but that night, she made Santana at her worst seem like Bambi in comparison. The only thing that held her back at all was the fact that Kurt had died. As a consequence of the mix up, she was called to see her seniors urgently, and as a result, Finn found himself sitting beside the familiar white bed, in the plain room, watching as his little brother slept soundly. He might have been relatively new to heaven, but even Finn knew the problems that would appear. If someone failed to die at the correct time, then their body stayed in place, but the kindest parts of their soul left it. Blaine would now become an evil version of himself - that was basically what would happen. He would appear to all intents and purposes to be the same, but… It also delayed Hunter being caught. This would potentially put the lives of others at danger in consequence. As he sat by the still recumbent Kurt, Finn heard Elizabeth threaten Charlie that if as a result of his negligence, anything at all should happen to Sam, the Warblers or their families, she would personally rip off his wings and send him below. Then she came into the room, her face a mask of misery, her eyes red and puffy. She took a seat next to him, and sat in silence for a while. Then, as she began to talk about Charlie again, Finn noticed that his little brother was stirring…

Finn was brought back to the present by the sound of Blaine crying again. Things were going to be hell again for the next few weeks. He had been through it before. He had to support the other two through their own experience. He owed them that much at least…


	5. Kurt takes Flight

**Kurt takes flight**

As Blaine cried, Kurt did his best to soothe his husband. He had a feeling that this one was too big for him to deal with alone. Blaine was worried like him for all their friends down below, some more so than others. He almost felt betrayed by the system. It had let them down in September, and now it was taking someone else away, this time just after a wedding. It felt as if Warbler weddings were going to be cursed forever. Kurt could only stand and hold him, trying to comfort him. Finn would help them both, of course, particularly as the day drew closer. After all, he had been so altered by his time in heaven; he was far more empathetic these days in times of trouble. He had been a rock for Kurt when he had first arrived, after everything had gone wrong. When part of a soul had been left in the mortal realm. He was talking about Blaine, but he could just as easily have been talking about his own. He had never met the idiot that had caused him so much pain, and that was a good thing. He couldn't quite decide if what was about to occur was worse than his and Blaine's situation. After all, they were about to be taken away from the person they loved, as they had been, but for them the separation would not be days, but potentially decades. He could still recall quite clearly how he had felt when he had thought he had been separated from Blaine….

For the first week that he was in heaven, Kurt Hummel was also in his own personal version of hell. He had his mom back, he had the new and improved Finn - but he had lost his dad, Carole, Rachel, and all of his other friends; he had lost his chance to be a Broadway star or see his designs appear on a catwalk. All that he could probably have dealt with.

But he had also lost his soulmate. Without Blaine, it did not really seem worthwhile continuing with existing. He had no option other than to carry on, for his mom and Finn. He was grateful that the new Finn was as much of a cuddlebug as Blaine. Knowing that Finn was by his side let him actually sleep at nights. To be honest, that was the only thing that let him sleep at all. He knew that his mom could see his pain and that made things much worse.

Then came the bombshell, after he had stood and watched his own funeral. Blaine had been meant to die with him, but someone had made an error, and he had lived. That stung. Why could they not have made a bigger mistake and let them both live? Saved both of them all the heartache and pain; allowed him and Blaine to have their wedding and spend the rest of their lives together in bliss. Now he was doomed to be apart from the love of his life, for however long he lived.

Then came bombshell number two. Actually, Blaine had to die, and he would do, by his own hand, in a week. Kurt had stared at his mom and Finn when they told him, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry. The positives were that he got his Blaine back, and would be able to spend the rest of eternity with him. He would also be an angel and they could fly together. Most importantly, his suffering and mine will end. The negatives - Blaine dies. It's suicide. It will complete the destruction that my death started on my friends and family. He never gets to be a star. Hunter wins (because I know it all now.) Blaine might not be the same anymore. He will never be my husband. Finally, he deserves to live. For the next few days, having been told the truth, Kurt spurned the company of his mother and Finn. He needed to be alone to deal with the internal conflict that was raging in his head. As Kurt saw it, it boiled down to this - if Blaine died, he got him back, but everyone else lost him. If he lived, the rest of the world kept him, but he could end up losing him. This situation meant that he won, but at what cost? He cursed Hunter constantly, wishing there was some way he could tell the world what he had done. That he was the cause of all their misery. That he was planning to murder the whole Evans family in the wilds of Kentucky. He just needed to get away, and so he embarked on a series of long flights around the new world which he now had to call home. Whether he was soaring through the air, or just hovering on an up draught, flying made him feel free, allowed him to forget… Problem was, the minute he landed, all his troubles came flooding right back.

He wanted Blaine to live. He really did. He wanted to stand and watch him from the wings as he wowed his audience in his first Broadway role. He wanted to read the praise in the _New York Times_ of the new star of the Great White Way - _"Mr Anderson shines and lights up the theater with his performance. A star is born, even his brother Cooper willingly pointed out"_ But…could he bear to see Blaine happy with another man? What if that man happened to be Sebastian Smythe? He could cope with Trent, just about, but the meerkat would be a step too far. And what if instead of moving on with his life, Blaine became stuck, and ended up an alcoholic? Or on drugs? Or worse! What if he spent his life fulfilling the lyrics of the song and cried 'the tears of a clown, when no-one is around?' What if he gave up altogether, abandoned music and performing, and went to work for his father? That did not bear thinking about. He wanted him to live, but there was no guarantee that he would be happy if he did.

So when Blaine came to him, what then? He would feel guilty the moment he realised that Kurt had died because of him and the Warblers. He would be devastated about the effect that his death would have on Sam, Tina and Cooper. When he found out that it was all Hunter's doing, his only thought would be saving the rest of the Warblers from blaming themselves. Who was it to say that it would be his Blaine that came to heaven in any case? From all reports, he was not acting himself this week at all. His Blaine would never have said those things to Tina, or then turned on the sweet natured Mike. His Blaine would never have abused Emma, though he had to admit that his pamphlet name suggestions hadn't been that bad. His Blaine could not speak a word of Spanish - so where he had picked up what he had said to Santana, Lord alone knew. At least he hadn't upset Brittany. He would have found it impossible to forgive him for that, even if he wasn't feeling himself. Now she was another mystery. Why had she had that dream? Why was she able to see him and Finn, and for how long had she actually been seeing dead people? He realised now that maybe she had stayed away from the memorial because she had started to see Finn. Of course, if she could see angels, that did raise the thought that perhaps Lord Tubbington might actually have done everything she had claimed over the years - 'Ok, Kurt, now you are losing it,' he thought.

The following day provided Kurt with a big impetus to swing to the opposite way of thinking. Blaine needed to die, and he needed to die soon. What he had just done to Sam - sweet, lovely, innocent Sam - that was not the actions of the man that he had fallen in love with. Sure, he had regretted it in the aftermath, but by then, the damage had been done. Kurt had always known that Blaine had a bit of a crush on Sam; heck, he had a crush on Sam himself back in the pre-Blaine days - but there was no excuse for his behaviour. It was so out of character - he had to die before he became worse. Before he attacked Cooper… Kurt had always entertained mixed feelings about Blaine's older sibling, his future brother-in-law. Sure he was good looking, and Kurt had adored those commercials, but Cooper had an ego the size of Alaska, and from what he had been told, he had been a bit of a douche towards his brother when they had been growing up. On top of this, there was the fact that if Cooper had been on time that night, he would have been on his way home to Bushwick in a cab at the exact moment that Blaine was being attacked. 'And you would be the one stuck there in the mortal realm, falling apart,' Kurt thought. All that said, Cooper was stepping up to the plate now, and was acting as a nurse to the boy he referred to as Squirt or Blainers. He had barely left his side since the night that Kurt had died. Had told his agent to cancel all his auditions until further notice; had unbeknownst to Blaine ended the lease on his L.A. apartment. Had, to Kurt's shock, told the director of the new Marvel comic show that he had been lined up to co-star in that he no longer wanted the part. He had given up on his big break, the one he had been waiting years on, because his little brother needed him. When Kurt heard that, he felt so incredibly guilty, because Cooper had no idea that in less than a week's time, Blaine would no longer need him, because he wouldn't be around any more.

Just when Kurt thought that things could not get any worse, the meerkat showed up on what he knew was Blaine's last full day in the mortal realm. Kurt had to admit that he was so disappointed when Blaine's evil side failed to show up to send him into the middle of next week with a flea in his ear. If anything, Sebastian was being nice and sympathetic. He had heard rumours that he had changed, but until this moment, he had refused to believe it. And then it happened; that he of all people should be the one that held the clue that finally solved the mystery was galling. But, he was going to save Sam's family, and therefore Sam. Hunter was going to be caught, and Kurt was delighted. When Blaine put the pieces of the puzzle together and identified that Finn's death was no accident, he started to cheer, causing Finn to appear at his side in concern; he joined in the cheers when Kurt told him what had happened. It almost made Kurt forget what was to happen the next day. Almost…

Having Blaine back with him was bliss. That first morning, when he woke up to find Blaine cuddled into him, his heart felt so light, for the first time in two weeks. A burden had been lifted from his soul and he felt so alive. He had his fiancé back. He had his soulmate with him. They both knew instinctively never to mention how Blaine had died ever again. Until the end of time, Blaine would never be able to forget that he had blown his own brains out with his father's revolver. A weapon which Jonathan Anderson was more worried about that his teenage son. He had lost Cooper over that one, and about time too. In Kurt's opinion, he and Pam did not deserve to have children. Cooper had proved himself to be good, kind and caring when it had mattered most. He was pleased that his dad and Carole had taken him in - he needed to see what good parents were like. They would help him to get back into life. Sam would assist there too, solely for the fact that he was Blaine's brother. As for Kurt, he would take care of the boy he loved forever. Eternity here actually meant that. As long as you didn't break the rules, you were here for life. He had only one regret in those first days; that he would not be able to refer to Blaine as 'my husband.' There wasn't much that could be done about that, and he was just so glad to have him at all….

'Of course,' thought Kurt, 'that turned out not to be the case, but only because Blaine arrived late. The only reason that I have a husband is because someone made a mistake.' The fact that they were married did not quite make up for the torment that they had both suffered in the fortnight in which they had been apart. He still wanted to go and punch Charlie in the face, but maybe not as hard as he had wanted to when he had first arrived and found out. It had made their relationship stronger - he was no longer afraid of P.D.A. - whereas before he had tended to let Blaine initiate displays of affection, even when they were in the company of just their closest friends, now he did so almost as often as Blaine. His mom said that it was a sign of the fact that he had grown up; had lost the caution against getting too close to people that had been brought on by her early death, then reinforced by Finn's tragic demise. He had died just as Kurt had got so used to him being around. Now he had all three of them, and technically, it was forever.

In practice, Finn's soul could actually be sent back - it had only lived three times, not the five times that his and Blaine's had. In fact, Elizabeth had seen to it that he would be going nowhere at the same time that she had got permission for the wedding. The nature of Kurt's relationship with Finn had also changed as a result of those two weeks. Every night when he had cried in the pain of wing growth, or in the depths of despair at the loss of his soulmate, Finn had appeared to hold him in his arms, to lie next to him on the bed all night, and spoon him. The old earth Finn would never have done that - a hug in public was ok, but sharing a bed…? No way. Kurt far preferred the new version. He acted like Blaine now - full of affection, not afraid of what people might say. Here in heaven, no-one batted an eyelid if Finn shared a bed with Kurt, or indeed with him and Blaine, as he had on the latter's second night, when the pain of his wing growth was at its worst.

Kurt looked up to see that Finn was talking quietly to Blaine, no doubt about what they had just been told. It was awful. Now he knew how his mom must have felt; how Finn must have felt when his name and Blaine's had appeared. You just felt so totally helpless. You just wanted to stop it happening, but you had absolutely no say over the matter. There was no right of appeal, and no challenges could be heard against the decision. All they could do was prepare the place for their arrival - arrange to be around to sit with them, to hold their hand as the full enormity of the situation hit them. Death was not easy. Even if you had faith in an afterlife (and Kurt had not - his dying moments had been filled with realisation, panic and fear; he had never been so glad to hear Finn's voice as he had been that day.) You remained uncertain and doubtful even as your life ebbed away.

He knew from what little they had been told that this death would be swift. No lying dying in a cold alleyway for them; a life snuffed out in a split second. The whole thing would still leave them badly shaken up. Young people do not expect to die, to have death come along and knock on their door. He had never imagined that he would die before he turned 21; that Finn would have died shortly before him and that his poor Blaine would still be a teenager, just and no more. He had once seen an old poster, with a picture of a chiselled male torso, and the words 'He is young, not immortal' written upon it. It seemed so true now, and most of their friends now felt the same way. They lived for the day now, taking great care of themselves.

Did any of them have even the slightest inkling that their life was drawing to a close? He doubted it. For one of them it was, and at this moment, they had to remain oblivious to that fact. They had to abide by the rules. They would be torn apart by their guilt at being unable to say something - they couldn't even ensure they were ready to go. Sometimes, everybody being able to see you was the curse of angel's life…


	6. Blaine's first days

**Blaine's first days**

Blaine could not stop crying. He had always known that one day he would have to do this, but he had expected it to be in many years time, after his friends had lived long and happy lives - not in eight weeks. The whole thing was made so much worse by the fact that due to the upcoming Niff nuptials, he and Kurt would have to see much more of all their friends in the build up, and worse, would have to attend the event in question knowing that one of the people gathered there was going to die the following day. If he could barely control his emotions here with Kurt and Finn, then how was he going to do it with the actual person in front of him? He wondered if he could find someway to so deeply offend Nick and Jeff that he would be immediately excluded from the wedding. No, that was impossible, and there was going to be enough pain after their happy day without further complicating matters. Kurt was trying his best to soothe him; Finn was deeply sympathetic, having been through something very similar himself when he and Kurt had passed away. Finn had the advantage however that nobody at the time could see him, apart from Burt and Brittany. All he had to do was steer clear of them and he was in the clear. Not so easy now for any of them. Everyone could see them, call on them, including the person that he would be collecting.

'Life sucks, and so does being an angel,' he thought. 'If it wasn't for Kurt being here, I would go and tell them right now. But then I would lose my right to be here and I would fall. Kurt would do something to ensure that he followed me. Then we would both be miserable for the rest of eternity. I have to do this; bring my acting skills to the fore, and pretend it is not going to happen. Think happy thoughts - and spend a lot of time flying with Kurt….'

They had been an absolute nightmare to grow, but the best thing about being an angel for Blaine was his wings. It had been worth all the pain to see them unfold for the first time. Being back with his fiancé had been enough to temper the pain somewhat in any case; and the look on Kurt's face when he had first seen his wings had made him want to jump for joy. Kurt's own wings had made his own smile broader. He had anticipated that he would spend weeks learning how to use them - after all, it takes a child time to stop crawling and learn how to get the balance right to walk upright. He had been eager to start straight away, but Kurt had insisted that firstly they needed to go over wing care. He saw the point of course - if he failed to take care of the feathers that made up his wings; failed to preen each and every curled black feather, then his wings would not work well, and he could end up crashing to the ground, a lot like Icarus. He wanted to soar above the ground, hand in hand with Kurt, and if he had to be patient and endure a long conversation about how he should take care of his wings, then it would be worth it. In the end, the regimen was far less arduous than Kurt's nightly skin care routine had been. It just was potentially time consuming if you ignored the basics. Shower regularly, ensuring that your wings are fully extended, and each feather is washed. Dry initially by flapping them vigorously, then keep shaking them until the last drips fall free. Ensure they do not become twisted or bent; keep them free of each other. Most of his feathers he could reach by wrapping each of his wing around himself - some he would however need help with, and in return he was expected to assist others. Be aware that on occasion, you will shed a feather, but they will always grow back in the end. The last thing that Kurt had told him about was the tips of his wings - that if you stroked them in the right way, then it would give you 'tingles.' When Kurt proceeded to do that to his wings later that day, he certainly got tingles - and afterwards, when he had done the same for Kurt, his fiancé had been very glad that Finn had not given him a practical demonstration when he had been giving him instruction weeks before.

Kurt was very patient with him as he learnt how to fly. He was well aware that one of the few flaws that Kurt had was his short fuse when he got frustrated. So he listened; he copied; and he tried again. The moment when he got a smile and heard the words "You do realise you are hovering just off the ground Blaine?" was one of the happiest of his existence. From there, it was easy to progress to rising up into the sky, moving across it and soaring through it on the wind. What Finn had said did appear to be true - Warblers did seem to have an inbuilt ability to fly, and could grasp the basics very quickly. Ok, so it was just the basics, and he didn't imagine that he was going to be looping the loop any time soon, particularly as Kurt blanched at the very notion. Just to be able to take off, to soar in the sky, flying fast or barely moving, and then land safely was more than enough for now. He found that he could grab onto Kurt's hand and still fly, their wings synchronising themselves to avoid clashing. It made him feel free in a way that music always had, but this was so much better. This was freedom from the forces of gravity to an extent - to have nothing below your feet but air was spectacular. He had Kurt to fly sedately through the sky with - and Finn to race across it as Kurt watched, shaking his head, down below. "In the sky, all of your cares vanish," Kurt had told him, and it was true. He lost all of his regrets - that he would never have kids, never be on Broadway, never marry Kurt, never stand up to his father. He didn't care anymore, at least whilst he was flying.

He had flying, and he had also gained a mother-in-law. He had heard of Elizabeth Hummel since almost the first time that he had met Kurt on that staircase. He had seen her picture in Kurt's room, and then in the loft, next to the one of Burt, Carole and Finn - and of course, the several dozen of him. In person - well let us just say that the photograph did not do her justice. He knew at once where Kurt had got his looks from. His eyes in particular were virtual copies of hers. He had remarked on that to Finn after he had first met her, and he had nodded, before confessing that they had been largely how he had realised who she was. Blaine had been afraid of her at first. He dreaded that she would not approve of him; that she would send him away to protect her son from him - after all, his behaviour in the days leading up to his suicide had not exactly been exemplary. Of course, she understood. She knew exactly where he was coming from, and had been the one to apologise to him. He couldn't help but fall in love with her from the moment they met. She was the epitome of the good mom, like Carole.

They had many things in common, the most important of which was their love for Kurt. He had realised that from day one. She had seen it shining out of him, and had at once liked him. She had told him that much the first time they had been alone together. He knew that meeting had been set up, and part of him still feared it. Over coffee and cake, they had bonded and made a friendship that was not just mother and son-in-law, but mother and son. He had found himself telling her everything about his relationship with his own mother, and how what had started out as good had soured, with a combination of his sexuality and her return to the workplace. How he still loved her, even if she seemed to have stopped loving him. His father was another issue altogether. He had felt that he was a disappointment to him from the first moment that he could recall. He could almost believe that his father would actually be happy that he was dead. And when he cried, as he always did, without fail, after talking about his parents, she had taken him into her arms and held him close. Told him that it was ok, he was ok, and that he would always be loved.

Unlike many men therefore, Blaine had an excellent relationship with his mother-in-law. At least once a week from then on, Blaine would go and have a coffee with her and just talk. It was like a trip to the therapist but without the expense - anything that he said to her was in confidence and vice versa. Kurt had tried at first to find out what they talked about, but he had no chance of getting either of them to break. There was one subject that he did share with Kurt and that was the one that he knew all about already - his parents. Now that he was free of them, he could look back at them and see them for what they truly were. It hurt a lot to think that they couldn't even be bothered to come and visit him as he lay, sick and in bits, in a hospital in New York, particularly now that he knew where his mother had really been that week - well, at least from two days after he was attacked, and Kurt died. A room at the Park Plaza hotel in Manhattan. She had told Cooper on the last day he had called her, on the third day after the attack, when he was desperate for support, that she was tied up at a conference in San Diego; then had to head straight to Denver for another meeting. She had been in the same city, and had lied. Blaine had always hoped that his mother still had a little bit of maternal feeling left; an ounce of love for him, her youngest son. Obviously not, and he would never be able to forgive her for it. He had expected nothing else from his father, but from her… It was no wonder that Cooper had decided to sever all his ties to them; to get a friend of his from L.A. to look into his parents financial history. That would bring revelations too, mainly the existence of a trust fund from their paternal grandfather for each of them. Money that they should have by rights received when they turned 18. Their parents had hidden its existence from them - had diverted the money to their own funds.

Cooper was furious when he found out, and when they then tried to get him to drop the charges he had made against Hunter, that was it. Blaine took great pleasure in watching the ordered lives of his parents unravel. He had begun the process himself with that line in his will about the box. He had never actually expected his friends to do it for him. He had not anticipated that Santana and Sebastian would team up to buy things that made him blush, and Kurt squeal in horror. Finn had run out of the room shouting something about a mailman. He alone noticed that Santana had actually kept the pair of handcuffs that Elliot had bought them as a joke.

To watch as Mike the 'UPS Man' accidentally allowed the box to burst open and spill its contents all over the table in the middle of his mother's Ladies Circle meeting was hysterical. He had been bent over double with laughter, and Kurt hadn't been much better. What she had proceeded to say that day just confirmed what he already knew. It didn't make it any less hurtful, or stop him from crying. It did make him decide that when he got the chance to marry Kurt, he wanted to be a Hummel. By then he had an idea that it would be when, not if, if Elizabeth had anything to do with it.

Watching Cooper take his parents to court in Ohio as Blaine Hummel-Warbler had been the icing on the cake. His parents had spent years cultivating an image for themselves as the solid, traditional American family, desperately trying to hide the fact that Cooper was an actor, and Blaine was gay. Everyone knew, but no-one said out loud. The only time his father had ever talked about his sexuality was one day at his gun club, when he was introduced to Gordon Clarington. The latter was deeply sympathetic to his predicament - but told him what he should have done was sent his eldest boy to a military academy, and had his fag son adopted. That was the best solution, and it was the one he had used. Now Jonathan Anderson was up in court, charged along with his wife with fraud. When he lost, Cooper suddenly had access to several million dollars of his own. As for Blaine's money, Cooper used that to set up a memorial scholarship at NYADA, to the delight of both Kurt and Blaine. As far as Blaine was concerned, Cooper was the only blood family he had now. Like Finn, he had changed. Coop 2.0 had no ego, was thoughtful, and volunteered at a soup kitchen and a homeless shelter. As far as Blaine was concerned, that was another good thing to come out of his tragic death.

Whilst his own big brother tried single-handedly to set the world to rights, he had gained a surrogate big brother in Finn, just as Sam had taken the role of little brother to Coop. Finn had not always been his biggest fan, but he had come through for both of them in the aftermath. He had been the one that had spoken to him first, in the immediate aftermath of his death. He had witnessed it all, and had protected Kurt from the worst. He had held him along with Kurt as his wings grew in, and it had been nice to be cocooned by the two step-brothers. Of course, it had been awkward sharing a space with Finn at first - although he had changed a lot, he still had an uncanny ability to walk in at just the wrong moment - the first they usually knew of his presence was a muffled "errr" and the sound of footsteps beating a rapid retreat, often accompanied by the word mailman. They had moved out of the Hummel-Hudson house and into their own New York loft as soon as they could. They had made sure that the door could be locked this time; Finn could still arrive at the worst possible moment, but now he saw nothing. Blaine almost felt sorry for Finn - he was alone, separated from his soulmate, who he was firstly, unlikely to see anytime soon, and secondly, she was falling for Sam. Finn had given the relationship his blessing, but it still had to hurt. The fact was, he did not want Rachel to be as lonely as he was. Finn was pretty selfless these days. He did not think that he could have been quite so happy if he had died and Kurt had lived. It would be a Catch 22 - seeing him with someone else would have killed Blaine, but seeing him sad and lonely would have been just as bad. It was a situation that you just couldn't win.

Finn kept them grounded and kept them happy. Even in heaven, couples had their arguments, and Finn being around gave them both someone to go to when they wanted to vent their frustrations. He and Finn would happily sit and watch the football together, whilst Kurt would read, catch up with his mom, or if they were really lucky, whip up a batch of cookies. Kurt and Finn could sit and talk for hours about Burt and Carole when they missed them - they shared things that Blaine did not, so he did not begrudge them their 'bro time.' He could go and talk to Elizabeth, or pop out to see one of their new friends. They had got to know a few other people quite well - and Blaine had met up with one person in particular. He had appeared about two weeks after his arrival. Kurt had no idea who he was when he came to the door, but Blaine had recognised him straight away, and had run over and enveloped him in a deep hug. Kurt looked startled, almost angry with jealousy, until Blaine made the introductions. He had quite forgotten that they would probably be here.

Peter Zimmerman had not forgotten Blaine. How could he forget the boy that had invited him to the Sadie Hawkins dance that would cost him his life. Kurt had no reason to be jealous, as Peter was in a long term committed relationship with another angel of their own age, who had died in a similar attack to the one that had claimed Peter's life two days later. Dominic had gone to his high school in Idaho one morning and had not come home. He had been beaten to death by a baseball bat wielding jock in the locker room. The worst thing was that the room was full of other boys, and no-one had intervened or tried to stop it. There had been no angel assigned to collect him as a result of an administrative error and it so happened that the emergency collection had been performed by Elizabeth. He had ended up in the care of the Ohio section temporarily, and had still been there when Peter had arrived two days later. It turned out that they, like Kurt and Blaine, were soulmates. How they would have met if they hadn't come into Elizabeth's care at the same time, nobody knew - possibly at college. They had all quickly become friends, and they had been there to watch Kurt and Blaine marry - in all the excitement of the ceremony, none of their friends had noticed the two extra guests.

Blaine was happy to have Peter back in his life - he had never quite got over the survivor's guilt he felt over what had happened that night. The four of them worked together and even Finn found himself pulled into their circle. It helped that Peter was a lot like Finn in general appearance, and that the two of them liked many of the same things. He was a collector of some skill now - the quieter, more studious Dominic was an administrator, doing the basic paperwork to assemble the lists. They all liked to sing and their voices complimented each other perfectly. The other angels got used to hearing them sing together - some complained, but mostly there was approval. Such was the strength of their friendship that Kurt and Blaine made a door from the Dalton corridor straight to the little house that Peter and Dominic shared. It was in complete contrast to the other two homes in which they had lived, being a log cabin set by a lake - but it was warm in the winter with a roaring log fire, and in the summer they would have access to the lake for swimming. In return, Peter and Dominic gained access to New York and all of its attractions. As time went by, the two couples had become very close.

That didn't mean that they had completely forgotten their friends back in the mortal realm. They all remained so very important to them. The idea of soul friends had been a new one for Blaine; but it was no shock at all to find out that Sam was one of his. He had been the only person that had kept him sane and rational during his break up from Kurt. Sam was the kind of cool straight friend that every gay guy wishes for but so rarely gets. He was totally ok with Blaine having a crush on him - as he put it himself, he knew he was hot, so he would have been more upset if Blaine hadn't had a crush on him. He was one of a kind, and that made him all the better. He made Blaine feel loved when he was around, and he had supported him when no-one else would. It still made him shiver when he thought back to how he had repaid him for that kindness in the dark days before his death. He had returned the favour before that though; had done so big style when he had asked him to come to New York with him, even though he was aware that might cause issues with Kurt. His soul needed him. He felt guilty that he had left him, but he still had his other soul friend in Artie.

The revelation that he also had the same kind of relationship with Santana - well that had been a moment. It did explain a heck of a lot though. Why even when she was being a complete bitch to him, he didn't really mind. Why he had suddenly been able to insult her in fluent Spanish, even though he could barely speak a few words normally. Why she had been almost inconsolable and cried for hours when he had died.

He liked the fact that he could now just pop in on any of their friends, wherever they where, at a moments notice. He could be chilling with David and Thad in L.A. one minute and helping Tina with her coursework at Brown the next. He could even walk around Berlin with Niff, Trory and Sebofsky. That was why what he had just been told hurt so much. If he had not been able to converse with them, just watch silently, then maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. But he saw them on a regular basis; was fully aware who their soulmate was, and who their two main soul friends were. They would be the ones left most devastated by their death. Ok, they would all be grief stricken, not a dry eye in the house. As with his own death, the ripples would hit everyone, some less than others. They were loved by everyone that knew them, and that was what made it all the more tragic.

There was nothing he could do. Death was a cruel mistress. He would get through this, they all would. They would support each other once again. He, Kurt and Finn would be a key part of that. There was a part of him that wished it was already over with.

The next eight weeks were going to be hell.


	7. Meanwhile, back on earth…

**Meanwhile, back on earth…**

July 2014 was a quiet month for the three angels. They were still summoned by their friends and family every so often, but it seemed that they did not need them quite so much. Rachel had settled in on _Funny Girl_ , and although she had experienced feelings of boredom for a short while, she had overcome them due to a combination of sage advice from Kurt and Blaine, and a good dressing down from Santana. The latter was still working hard at the diner with Brittany and Sam. Some days it felt to her as if she had been working there forever. She had been rewarded with promotion to a supervisory role on a permanent basis. The owner was talking about retiring and he wanted to spend less time in the place. So he had shown her the basics of stock and staff planning - and so far, his trust in her had been repaid. He knew that she would soon be going to NYADA, and was quite prepared to tailor her hours to suit that. She had also had to deal with a crisis when she caught another employee with their hand in the register. It all meant that Jeff made his appearance on the regular rota far more quickly than he had imagined. With Santana spending much more time in the back, Sam found himself in charge out front more often, and he had risen to the challenge. The Spotlight Diner was going from strength to strength, and when retirement eventually came, whoever took over would be getting a thriving business.

Quinn was spending her summer in a small town in Virginia, close to the base on which Puck was currently stationed. Mike had left Chicago behind, and was spending his summer in Lima before heading to New York. Tina was there too, and they were spending as much time together as they could between Tina's summer job at Breadstix and Mike helping Burt out by doing the paperwork at the garage. Artie had also returned to Lima to make a film, with Kitty as his star - though Marley, Ryder, Jake and Unique all had parts too. They had all graduated from McKinley, leaving the New Directions in the capable hands of the next generation. It seemed like their glee club would be in safe hands with Jane, Roderick, Mason, Madison, Spencer and Alistair, given that they had helped them to a win at Nationals that year. Their own trophy was a bit of a bonus. Even Sue had been forced to congratulate Will on his second win in three years, given the circumstances. Kitty and Marley would both be heading to New York, to NYU and NYADA respectively. Ryder was also joining them, having won a football scholarship that would place him at the same college as Dave. Jake and Unique were heading to L.A., albeit to different schools. They would be far from their own friends, but there was no doubt that Mercedes, David and Thad would look out for them.

Those three were spending the month of July relaxing after a traumatic and hectic year. Once the trial had finished, Mercedes had been in the studio pretty much every hour of every day, even having to decline an invitation to Rachel's opening night. The latter had understood her reasons. David and Thad had been hard at it with college and part time jobs, but they had made time for a bit of fun now and then. Thad had spent a week in June in New York with Wes on the quiet - only David had known where he was, and he had been smuggled in and out of the building by Wes. He didn't want Santana finding out. At the same time, David had romanced Mercedes every night, and the two were now officially an item to their friends, family and most importantly, her record label. Life was good for them.

Beats and Flint had stayed in Princeton for the summer - both had jobs that had offered more or less full time hours if they did. Beats had one issue - he was getting more and more conscious that he could hear both Kurt and Blaine from time to time. He was more convinced than ever than that they were there. Flint had begun to realise that something was up, and had almost arranged for Beats to see the campus shrink out of his concern, as a friend - he loved him like a brother. The problem was, he had noticed that when Beats had his 'episodes' as he called them, he could feel draughts just before and just after. He hated to admit it, but maybe they both needed to see the shrink. In the end, he had confronted Beats about it, and after a heartfelt chat, they had resolved to speak to Wes about it when the wedding planning allowed - so that would probably be the night before the wedding.

For the four Warblers in the loft, the month had started of as a bit of an anti-climax. Having just spent four weeks in Europe for three of them - and four weeks in relative peace, working hard on his thesis, to the point that it was now almost complete, for Wes. It would have been finished if he hadn't invited Thad to come and visit, but it had been so good to spend time with him alone, free of any pressure of expectation, or an audience. It had been, Wes had to admit, the happiest week of his life to date. They had laughed, they had talked, they had shared secrets. It had ended with them still just friends; but best friends as Thad had put it cheesily. And yes, Wes might have kissed Thad lightly on the cheek at the airport departure gate whilst they were locked in a hug… But as ever, life had a funny way of throwing you a curve ball, and after Jeff had checked in with his tutor at college… well that was the start of another story. Those pictures were being carefully stored away were a certain Ms. Lopez could not discover them. As the month wore on, Nick found himself with less hours at the library as it grew quieter, but that allowed him time to start on his own reading list for college. Conversely, Jeff had more hours at the diner, but Santana tried her best to schedule him to work when Nick was also working.

Sebastian was of course getting ready to move in with Dave. He had fallen in love with the little apartment that Cooper had to rent out from the moment that he had seen it - the stained glass panels and the high ceilings had sold it, but the clincher had to be the old roll top bath that was so big that both he and Dave could fit into it comfortably. They knew because they had tried. Sebastian had always secretly envied Nick and Jeff's habit of sharing a bath - it was one which he hoped to start with Dave once they had their own place. He moved out on the last day of July - the tears that he, Nick and Jeff had shed that day were of sadness, not relief. It had been good fun living there, with the two boys he now regarded as his best friends, bonded as they were by what they had suffered at Hunter's hands. It was time for him to move on, and see if Dave really was the Jeff to his Nick. Four weeks of sharing hotel rooms in Europe seemed to indicate that he was. Wes would also be moving out slowly during August; Mike would move in mid month and there would be a very brief period when he and Wes would be sharing the room. Wes was glad that Mike was their new roommate - he was a calm, sobering influence. Either that, or he would end up as a mad as the two of them within 3 months tops. Personally, Wes had his money on the latter.

As August loomed ever closer, so preparations for Nick and Jeff's big day began to seriously dominate not just the lives of the two boys, but of all those around them. Even far away in Washington DC, wedding fever seemed to be spreading. Burt had to admit that Rory and Trent had both returned from Europe with a smile on their face. It took a week before everything came out, one quiet afternoon when Carole had popped in to see Burt. Rory told them how he had gone to see his mother against his own better judgement, and had been rejected and humiliated once again. How Trent had been with him, and when he found out what his mother had done, had charged up to the door and laid in verbally to her, at the top of his voice, airing her dirty washing in public. Burt had always liked Trent, but his admiration for the boy shot up tenfold when he heard what he had done. Rory then went on to mention the one sentence that he had overheard that meant everything - _"_ _The man that I hope one day to call my husband."_ No ring had been forthcoming yet, but Rory knew now that it was only a matter of time before it did. In fact, he had popped out in Dublin, and bought something, just in case. He pulled a little box out of his jacket pocket, and was rewarded with a gasp from Carole and a smile from Burt. This news, combined with the fact that his brother, Séamus, was moving to the States next year, made Rory as happy as a sandboy. Burt began to plan for another wedding there and then. It did seem strange to him that it was all the boys that wanted to get married and show their commitment to each other. He could only hope that another engagement might encourage some of the others…

One of those others was Cooper. Grace Duval had come into his life as a consequence of the trial, and now, less than 6 months on, he could not imagine his life without her in it. She was everything that he had ever hoped for in a girlfriend - smart, beautiful and more than able to hold her own in a conversation. Fate had been kind to them - Grace had got the job she had been in the city for, and she had accepted when Cooper had offered her the use of his spare room whilst she found her own place. She wasn't looking too hard for one, if at all. They had gelled so well as 'roommates', knowing when one of them needed to be alone and when company was required. She was quite happy after a day at work to come home and help him with his scripts for _Kinky_ _Boots_ , playing all the other parts most of the time; sometimes Nick and Jeff would appear for dinner and would help - Nick's talent for voices making the other dissolve into laughter, especially when he was reading Lola. Grace was also unperturbed by the fact that Cooper spent long periods of time at home, teetering around in the high heeled boots that Nick and Jeff had found for him in Edinburgh. She had seen the show, and knew that he needed to be able to strut about in them at the show's climax; and it was far better for him to tumble over at home than on stage. She kept good on her promise not to laugh - Blaine and Kurt had made no such promise though, and had positively hooted with laughter the first time that they saw him. They had been banned from watching him after that, but they carried on doing so in secret. They needed something to cheer them up after all.

Keeping busy was a major help to Kurt and Blaine, particularly when nothing amusing could be found. A lot of the time they found themselves on call for Nick and Jeff, as the reality of getting married hit them. There was far more to do than just show up at the New Yorker and say I do. Even with the services of the hotel's wedding planner, there were so many decisions to be made - colour schemes, menu choices, seating plans, flowers, musical performances and worst of all, the thorny question of attendants. Wes as head groomsman was obvious - he had been their leader and mentor for so long that neither of them could imagine a wedding without him there to manage any crisis that came up. They had also asked their respective best men whilst they were in Europe; Trent had just nodded and hugged Jeff, making him promise that when his day came, he would return the favour. Sebastian had burst into floods of tears when Nick asked him, unable to believe that he had been chosen. Since then, he had been a constant source of help. For ushers, they had asked Dave and Rory first, and then when they arrived back in New York, they had asked Cooper and Sam.

It was the groomsmaid issue that was the problem. They both wanted one, and for Nick the choice was simple. He could only ask Grace - who else? She had cried, and told him she would be honoured and delighted to stand at her brother's side on his wedding day. For Jeff, things were a bit more complicated - he didn't have a sister to ask. He toyed with the idea of inviting Santana to take the role, but did not want to risk causing offence to the other New Directions' girls, particularly not Rachel, who was missing two performances to attend. There was his cousin Flora, but he had only met her once and it just didn't seem right. In the end, Kurt had pointed out the best person to ask to take the job. Someone who would be only too pleased to be so closely involved in his big day. He told Nick what he was going to do, and he had agreed with it wholeheartedly. So Jeff had asked Elspeth if she would be his groomsmaid, and as Kurt had predicted, his mother was only too happy to agree.

Even with that potentially thorny issue out of the way, with the suits bought, the theme set and a whole mountain of suitable songs and music organised, things still crept up that could cause them stress. Counting vegetarians and vegans for the meal, and seeing to it that their meal was of a similar standard to everyone else's was not as easy as they had initially thought. Factor in religion and just plain old dislikes and it was all starting to get out of hand. They were glad that they lived in such a big city at moments like these - hotel staff were used to fuss over the menus and could offer the best solutions. At one point, Jeff had considered telling Nick that everyone could just bring their own food; then he had considered a buffet instead of a formal meal, though that did not really fit the theme. He was close to his breaking point, and it took more than the usual shared bath to calm him. The wedding planner had seen this and had offered up the perfect compromise - a selection of dishes from the normal restaurant menu, that could be ordered on the actual day of the wedding, prior to the start of the ceremony, and cooked to order. A cold starter, that could also be selected on the day, and a similar arrangement for dessert. It was perfect as it catered for everyone. As Nick put it, if anyone was still unhappy, they could call for a takeaway.

The wedding cake was one thing they would not compromise on. It was to have three tiers - one of traditional fruit, one of Victoria sponge and one double chocolate fudge, to give the biggest choice. Jeff had also requested mini cup cakes, including some to a vegan recipe, as this allowed for Rachel; and Kurt had also insisted that no wedding was complete without them.

Flowers were another issue. They had decided to avoid red and yellow roses, although both Kurt and Blaine had insisted that they had no problem with them using them. Nick and Jeff both identified them as Klaine's flowers, and they had seen the displays that had been prepared for their aborted wedding. They chose instead to go with a mixture of blues, pinks and purples - lilacs and forget-me-nots jostled with carnations in the small example arrangement that the hotel's florist had created for them. Kurt agreed it was nice, but then again, he was biased to his own favourite flowers. Buttonholes were a different matter, and after a quick chat, they had asked for red and yellow roses for a contrast. They had been rewarded by a delighted smile from Kurt and a big thumbs up from Blaine; Jeff and Trent would have the yellow, Nick and Sebastian the red. The ushers would be provided with carnations. Wes did pose an issue until the florist produced a variegated rose of red and yellow - and it was a done deal.

With their 1920's theme in place, and their clothes sorted - even down to the pile of Daltonesque bowties that had been bought in Selfridges - there still remained the issue of hair and music. All the images of the period showed dapper young men with slicked down hair - but as Jeff put it, "We don't all want to end up using a Blaine sized amount of gel - there would be a city wide shortage if we did." Once Blaine had come out of his huff, and Kurt had stopped laughing, the latter pointed out that gel was a modern concept, and they actually needed a hair cream or a pomade. They experimented one night in late July at the loft. Jeff went with the Brylcreem first - it left him looking totally wrong, his hair almost dark as it sat flat and wet on the top of his head. Wes walked in and asked him if he had just taken a shower. Nick just shook his head. He elected to test the pomade whilst Jeff was washing the product out of his hair. It left his hair neat, but without it looking like he had just been caught in a monsoon. It also managed to give it a glossy shine; and a faint smell of apples. It was given a thumbs up by Wes and Sebastian, and when he returned from the bathroom, it turned out that it was perfect for Jeff as well.


	8. First Solo Collections

**First Solo Collections**

In all of their visits prior to the wedding, Kurt and Blaine were never accompanied by Finn. He had deemed that he was too much of a liability to be trusted around anyone now that he knew that death was in the air. He threw himself into the business of collections, going so far as to volunteer to do more, and giving up his time off. He did not want to risk coming face to face with a certain person and know just how little time they had left. His presence was however missed - and noticed by Rachel, Puck, Artie and Santana. She tried to summon him several times, and had ended up with either one of the other two in his place. She could sense it - something was up. Quite what she did not know, and she had a feeling that she did not want to know either. He couldn't hide away for ever and there was no way that he could fail to show up for the social event of the summer. Then she would corner him and get it out of him. It wouldn't be easy - he could just dematerialise after all - but she could be very persuasive when she wanted to be. Finn had always been putty in her hands…

Finn was of course well aware that this was Santana's plan and so every time he heard her call out for him, he stuck his fingers in his ears and la la lahed. Elizabeth would not normally have approved of that sort of behaviour from one of her angels, but given the circumstances, she excused it. He was very busy in any case, helping to cover a shortage in the numbers available for collection duty. He was undertaking too much in her opinion and in time, he would crash and burn. She knew why he was doing it though - he feared having time to think about the world of his friends in the aftermath of post-wedding events. So she let him carry on, even after she had found him fast asleep on the chair outside her office on several occasions, waiting there as a standby collector. She let him sleep, because she had come to love him as much as she loved her son and Blaine. She felt so protective towards all three of them. She was also more than aware that when their numbers rose to four, she would love the new arrival every bit as much. Until that time, life in the angel realm had to carry on as normal. The time had come for Kurt and Blaine to undertake their first solo collections.

Kurt had to make his way to a nursing home, there to collect a lady by the name of Dolores Johnson, a widow of 98 years of age. Elizabeth had chosen her for Kurt as she knew he had an affinity for the older generation. She would die peacefully in her sleep and Kurt's sole task was to guide her spirit from her bed, bring her to the office, assist with processing and the paperwork, and then escort her to her husband. The task was an easy one on the face of it, but he was to have no back up on hand, and for the first time, no Blaine either. She knew that he was dreading doing it - had feared this day since he had arrived and had to follow Finn to collect Blaine. At least on this trip he was being spared blood and misery - she wouldn't always be able to guarantee that for him.

Blaine's task was, she had to admit, a far harder one, but she had chosen that for him for good reason. It meant that when he had to go and collect his friend, it would hopefully be less traumatic for him. So it was that Blaine was dispatched to collect Kev Mathers, a 15 year old who had been in the front passenger seat of his elder brother's car, when it was hit side on by a van. He would not die quietly or quickly. He would pass in agony as beside him, his brother desperately tried to save his life. Blaine would need to call on all of his reserves of compassion and empathy to help the young man leave the scene and then get him to trust him enough to follow him up. He would need then to stay with him, help him through his first days and then take him to the Delaware section, where he would meet his future carers. He would die in Ohio only because he was on holiday there with his brother. Blaine could only imagine how guilty his brother would feel.

For Kurt, things were as easy as they had all expected. Dolores was more than ready to die, and freely admitted to Kurt as he stood at her bedside, his wings unfurled, that she had been waiting for him for a very long time. She had been a widow for nearly 30 years; had buried her eldest son 4 years earlier. She suffered from crippling arthritis and was slowly losing her mind to dementia. She had lost her best friend the year before, and with her family scattered across the country, life in a nursing home could be so very lonely. She was lucky if she saw her other children and grandchildren once a year. So she willingly took his hand when he proffered it, asking almost at once after her husband and son. She felt herself blessed to have been chosen to ascend to heaven in the company of such a beautiful angel. As he processed her paperwork, Kurt watched as he literally saw the years falling away from her. He had seen the process before on one of the occasions he had accompanied Finn, but it never ceased to amaze him. The best thing about it all was taking her back to her husband. He had not been expecting her to arrive quite so soon - his face lit up, and he ran across the room to her, pulled her into his arms and spun her round the floor. There were a lot of tears shed that day, each and every one of them for joy.

With Blaine, it was the exact opposite. He stood there and waited in the exact spot, watching the two vehicles approaching and knew that he was powerless to do anything to stop it. He could hear the happy laughter of the two brothers in the car. He was being torn apart inside, and this was before he actually had to go and retrieve the younger boy's soul. He had never felt so alone in his life.

He couldn't bring himself to watch the actual moment of impact. He screwed his eyes tightly shut, but he still heard the noise of metal on metal, of glass breaking, of heart wrenching screams of agony. He fought his urge to run away, to leave, to curl up safe in Kurt's arms and hide. He opened his eyes, and slowly made his way over to the car, his ears filled with the shouts of an older brother being consumed by grief, horror and self loathing. It did not help that he pictured Cooper in the driving seat and a version of himself in Kev's place. He ignored the older brother - he could do nothing to help him after all - he instead focused on the young boy who was unable to speak, and was going through the agony of knowing that he was about to die, could feel it coming. Now he found himself face to face with Blaine, and angel that was trying so hard not to burst into tears himself. Blaine reached out to touch his face; he felt the boy flinch at his touch as he tried to resist, to stay with his brother, who was now becoming hysterical. 'Don't do anything stupid,' Blaine said to the older boy in his head. 'There is nothing you can do. You just have to accept it.' he hoped that the older brother would hear him and realise the truth - he had no control over the situation.

Kev's soul took a while to come free from his broken body - he only realised that it had when he heard his brother start to scream as his pulse stopped and his eyes closed. Kev was as much of a mess himself; he didn't want to go, but the angel was now looking at him with such sympathy, that he felt compelled to follow him.

"There is nothing that you can do here. You can't go back. There is a chance that you will be able to make him see you after you have become an angel. Look, my brother was exactly the same when I died. He blamed himself and tried to follow me. In the end he managed to get over the worst of it, and he can see me because he wants to. But none of that can happen if we stay here."

Blaine was pleased when the boy nodded, and with one final look back at his brother, who was now crouched down over his body, crying his eyes out, Kev took his hand and allowed himself to be escorted away. Once they reached the office, Elizabeth filled in most of the paperwork, as Blaine just held Kev in his arms and let the boy sob. It turned out that the two of them had much in common - they both loved sports and loved to sing; Kev had been bullied at school, because he was gay, or thought he was. His brother was the only person that had accepted him for who he was. He had been invited on the trip because his best friend had died of cancer and his brother felt that he needed cheered up. And now, he was dead too…

As the days went by, Blaine found himself becoming increasingly fond of young Kev. He introduced him to Kurt, and asked Elizabeth for permission to invite him to stay in their loft. He was fascinated with the fact that he was now in a version of New York - he had planned to go their for college with his best friend, to escape their humdrum suburban lives, before their world had been turned upside down. He had thought that his death would end that possibility, but now he could see that that was not definitely the case. "It's all about where you want to be," Kurt told him. "We lived in New York. I died there, but Blaine died back home in Ohio. You will end up back in the Delaware section, but you can chose to live in New York, or at least spend time here." There were still moments when Kev would break down in tears - when he cried for his brother and his friends, but they were less now, and once he had his wings, they almost stopped altogether. By the time the day came for Kev to finally go to the Delaware section, Kurt had become as attached to him as Blaine, and they gave him their official address in New York so he could visit. After all, every version of New York was connected in one way or another.

Blaine had elected to take Kev to the Delaware section on his own. He knew what he was going to find there, what he had hidden from the boy almost the whole time. Kev's mother was not a forgiving woman, and she could not forgive her eldest son for taking him to his death, when she had specifically told him he could not take him on holiday. The older boy had begged and pleaded for mercy; had pointed out that it was not his fault, but to no avail. She blamed him, and as far as she was concerned, he had to pay for killing his brother.

The jury would later say that she had been temporarily insane when she had poisoned her eldest son 5 days after the death of his younger brother. Elizabeth had not revealed the full story to Blaine until he had brought the boy to her office, as she had not wanted to add more to the upset and trauma he already felt. The story had moved him, and so he had asked Elizabeth if she could arrange something for Kev's arrival in the Delaware section, and she had done so. As they walked down the corridor from the Ohio section, past all the other states in alphabetical order, Kev had begun to cry and Blaine could fully understand why. He felt that he was being abandoned and was once again going to be all alone. So when Blaine opened the door of the Delaware section and ushered him in to reveal his best friend Martin sitting waiting for him, Kev was delighted and ran into his open arms. Blaine smiled wryly as he remembered the days when he and Kurt had been 'best friends' too. The problem was that as two boys of 15, they would not be allowed to live together without a suitable guardian.

Martin had no friends or close family in heaven and so he had been living under the care of one of the senior angels since his arrival 3 months before. He did not know that this was all about to change. He entered the room silently, unnoticed by the two younger boys. His face was a mixture of joy and sadness, but at that moment, he didn't want to be anywhere else - Zach Mathers had a job to do. The moment came when Kev finally saw him - and he promptly burst into tears, knowing what the appearance of his brother meant - that he had also died. Zach had requested that he never be told the circumstances of his death, and no-one ever let slip. He took his brother and Martin into his arms, his wings instinctively wrapping around them. He would take care of the boys now - he knew that the job would not be easy, and that the two of them were going to end up as more than friends. He just wanted them to be happy. Before he left, Blaine had a chance to talk to him, and the former mentioned how much Kev loved the idea of living in New York. 'Maybe,' thought Zach, 'I can build a home for the three of us there…'

It was a sad Blaine that made his way back home that day. He knew that he would see all three of them again, but he also knew who he had to go and collect next - and that was going to shatter his heart.


	9. Voices and Performances

**Voices and Performances**

August came and in New York, preparations for the wedding began to reach fever pitch. The number of confirmed guests for the wedding had been tallied, and it was only slightly more than they had originally anticipated, despite Jeff's rash invitation to the current Warblers back in May. There would be ten of the most recent of those esteemed boys joining them - the two former councilmen, Jasper and Brad; Colin and Edward the new power couple; Seth, the new Head of Council, and five others, all of whom had been part of the group when Hunter had reigned. They had also invited Nick's father, but his invitation had been returned unopened, much as they had anticipated. As there were a small number of declined invites, there were in total only four more guests than they had budgeted for.

The replies had come in rapidly, but the first acceptance had been from Ethan and Drew, the two former Warblers that most of the others had not seen in person since the day they had graduated two years earlier. They had booked flights to arrive in New York a week before the wedding, so that they could all catch up, then afterwards would go on to Ohio for a couple of weeks to spend time with their families, before returning to the UK. For Wes, their return was one of the things he was looking forward to most about the wedding. For the first time in two years, all of his main core Warblers would be assembled in one place - Jasper and Brad had been two of his final freshmen. He knew all of the other boys too, and he was quite pleased that it looked like it would be the crème del la crème that would be in attendance. By some sort of chance, they had also turned out lucky in that there would be 21 Warblers at the wedding, with two further ex-members hovering around the place. He had considered conducting surreptitious rehearsals with the others, sans Niff of course, over Skype of a piece to be sung at the ceremony, but it had proved too difficult, mainly because Drew and Ethan were five hours ahead. So he had obtained a copy of Nick and Jeff's song list, and had allowed each of the young men to chose a song to sing alone, or in a small group. There was one thing that needed to be done before the service however. Somehow, the two thirds of the Warblers that could not see angels needed to be made able to, or things would be quite awkward.

He knew that Kurt and Blaine were working on it - he had been informed of that by Sebastian. They had sown the seeds with the unsuspecting Beats - Thad had told Wes all about how Beats could hear the two boys, and thought as a consequence that he was losing his mind. He had spoken to Wes one night, in confidence, back in June, when he and Flint had come up from Princeton on more or less the last day of Thad's visit. The latter had gone with Flint to get something from the drugstore, and so Beats had been alone with Wes, and used the opportunity to confess that he was hearing voices. Wes had reassured him that he had nothing to worry about, as he could hear them too, as did quite a lot of other people. As his old friend stared at him wide eyed, Wes told him that if he believed then he would hear them; if he really believed enough, then he might be able to see them. That last bit left the beat boxer open mouthed, barely able to comprehend what he was hearing.

"You're telling me that you can see them - Kurt and Blaine?"

"And Finn. Since just after Thanksgiving. They got married…" Wes paused as Beats started to choke on his drink, then once he had recovered, he continued "…the night that Nick proposed to Jeff. Their married name - well why do you think that Cooper chose Hummel-Warbler as a surname? And before you ask, yes I am sober and drug free. Thad will confirm it all - or Sam. I believe that the plan is for you and Flint to go through the same sort of process that we went through to allow us to see them the night before the wedding. Ethan and Drew too, by the way…"

At that point, the door opened, and Wes swiftly changed the subject to something more mundane as Thad and Flint returned. Later that night in the usual club, Beats had sat quietly in the corner, his shirt still unusually on, watching Wes and Flint dance, as Thad came back over to him. He sat down and whispered "I told you that you weren't mad. They watch over us all the time. Blaine is our guardian angel."

"Are they here now?"

"Nope. At the moment they are probably somewhere in Europe, keeping an eye on Niff, Trory and Sebofsky. But they would not want to find you sitting here moping in the corner, so get you shirt off and go and dance. If you don't then Flint is going to get even more worried about you than he already is - why do you think he wanted me to go to the store with him? You don't want to end up with a lot of awkward questions being asked."

Beats realised that Thad had a point, and leaving him holding his shirt, went off to join the other two on the floor. After all, it was only a matter of time now until everything was out in the open.

The start of August was also of significance that year for Cooper. He had begun to rehearse with the cast of _Kinky Boots_ in April, learning the choreography, the lyrics and the lines. He had been given the role of understudy to one of the chorus at first, just to break him gently into the show, at the beginning of July. The cast was healthy, so most of the time he just sat in the wings and watched, sometimes aping the dance moves to the amusement of the production team. All that changed on the first day in August. The actor that he understudied had a family emergency out of town, and as a result, Cooper would be going on. After he had taken the phone call, he sat stunned and panic stricken. Grace found him in the kitchen, breathing rapidly and moaning. All she could get out of him were the words "I'm on!" She made a quick phone call to Nick, to tell him that something was wrong with Cooper and after promising to head over, Nick made a quick summons to Blaine. Within a minute of hearing from Nick, Blaine was sat on the kitchen table beside his brother.

"So, Coop, what's up? You have Grace in a panic and calling Nick…"

"I'm on, Squirt! Tonight! I can't do this. I'm going to flop! I can't do it…"

"Yes you can, and you have to! You know the moves and the lyrics, and although you aren't as good as me, you can sing. Ok, maybe you won't be perfect, but you won't be getting a Tony award for this part anyway. You can do this because I will be there to help you. One of the advantages of having an angel for a brother is that I can be on stage with you and no-one else will see. Now, you are going to get out of that chair, get dressed and get to the theatre. Ask for a run through of the dances; be sensible and professional. Then you relax until the curtain goes up. Then you show them how good a Hummel-Warbler is! Oh, and if you don't move in the next thirty seconds, I'll ask Kurt to go and fetch Rachel - and Santana…"

"You are just plain evil Squirt! You wouldn't really subject me to them?"

"Yep. So get up, get washed and get dressed…"

It was the longest day in Cooper's life. He got to the theatre by 11am; he requested a run through of the main dances on stage, and the cast members that were already there were only too happy to help him out. He spotted Blaine at one corner of the stage, with Kurt; the two of them were copying the dance moves of the rest of the cast. They ran through it twice - Cooper went through it again a third time, seemingly alone on the stage, but with two angels guiding him. Then he did as Blaine had suggested and relaxed. He ate a sensible dinner to give him the energy he would need, then allowed the wardrobe department to turn him into his character - and then before he knew it, it was show time. The curtain rose, and he was on. Just as he had promised, Blaine was by his side; Kurt stood in the wings, watching anxiously and giving a thumbs up from time to time.

Although Cooper did not know it, Grace, Nick and Wes were sat at the back of the mezzanine, watching with their fingers crossed; a mixture of pride and hope as they saw him perform. The only person he realised was there for definite was Artie, who had a free evening, and was sat right at the front ('the advantage of this chair' he always said.) He kept giving Cooper a big smile and a thumbs up, just as Kurt was doing. Seeing him there did not fill Cooper with fear - he knew that Artie would be totally honest with him about his performance after the show. At the end, as he took his bow with the rest of the cast, standing in high heeled boots for the first time in front of a paying audience, he did not feel relief - he felt elation. He hadn't mucked it up. He had been at the worst, good. The rest of the cast and the director expressed the same sentiments. He was definitely leaving behind Cooper Anderson now. No more bit part L.A. actor - hello to Cooper Hummel-Warbler, future Broadway lead.

That night he was met at the stage door not only by Artie, but Grace, Nick, Wes and having rushed along from _Funny Girl_ , Rachel. She gave him a massive hug and asked him how he felt now that he had finally performed on the Broadway stage. He had to confess that after all of the times that he had scoffed at the dreams of his brother, Kurt and Rachel, now he saw the attraction and wanted more; he was going to get it too, the actor he had covered for was going to be away until Tuesday at the earliest, which meant he had three more shows to give, given that the theatre was dark on Monday. After Rachel, he turned to the two other people standing there and wished that Grace could see them - he hoped that she would be able to in just over three weeks time. Blaine was smiling broadly, his grin stretching from ear to ear. Kurt was behind him, his arm wrapped round his husband, thinking that it had been his Broadway debut that night too, although only three people in the audience had seen it. They walked together down Broadway in the direction of Times Square and the subway. The lights still shone above the throngs of people heading home, as the theatres and restaurants began to close for the night. It made Cooper feel alive - he watched in awe as someone clutching a _Funny Girl_ playbill, and asked her to sign it for her. 'That will be me soon enough,' he thought. 'And it's kind of scary. But I am doing it for my brother and for Kurt. Taking their place on the Great White Way. I'm happy to do it, and if I am honest, I think it might be the right place for me too.' The group split up when they reached the subway, taking different lines to head home. As Cooper and Grace walked the final few blocks home, he made a decision. Once he was settled in the show, he was going to ask her to marry him. In fact, he would do it on his opening night as Charlie Price, and why not do it on stage…


	10. How to embarrass an angel

**How to embarrass an angel**

With three weeks to go before the wedding, Nick and Jeff had entered a state of uneasy calm. All the major planning was done. They had a wonderful woman at the New Yorker Hotel dealing with any crisis. They had a folder full of notes as to when all the guests were due to arrive, where they were staying and when they were scheduled to leave. A jazz band had been found and paid for that would be able to play all the 1920s standards that they needed to fit in with the theme. They had spent an evening agonising over the song for their first dance, and in the end had gone for a song that was completely outside the theme, and for a style of dancing that was a world away from the traditional waltz. They had passed their choice on to Mike - he was preparing the choreography for it, and would teach them it once he arrived mid month. Sebastian had all but moved out by that point, only a couple of boxes remaining to be collected. That would be done sometime that weekend, but at that point on the 2nd of August, they had the loft to themselves, Wes having headed out for the day to the Law Library to check out a few final points for his thesis. It was hot, the air still as it neared lunch time. Jeff had a late shift at the diner, but Nick had the day off for once.

"It's nice to have the place to ourselves," said Nick, as Jeff stood in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches to the salad that they would be having, along with sandwiches, for lunch. "A lazy lunch - and then maybe you could persuade me to pose for another one of your life drawings…"

Jeff smiled - he and Nick had long since got over the embarrassment of doing them now. A few more for his portfolio could not be a bad thing - and he always loved drawing Nick; and though he would never admit it, he loved doing it all the more when he was wearing nothing but his smile. It would be easy enough just to bolt the door - both Wes and Sebastian knew to knock and wait if they found it bolted - that lesson had been learnt long ago…but it had given him two more subjects for his drawings, much to his shock in the case of Wes. So, yeah, finish lunch, leave the dishes to soak, then position Nick just so and draw. He would be naked too, of course. It was only fair. With Mike moving in in two weeks they needed to take every chance they got. It was a discussion they really needed to have with their new roommate. He was a pretty cool guy, but if Tina happened to walk in on them, well Jeff shuddered at the prospect.

For Nick, it was not a chore at all to pose for his fiancé. As he had said to him that first time, it wasn't as if Jeff hadn't seen it all before. Today's pose involved him reclining on the sofa, one leg raised at the knee and whilst he was doing that, he could easily read one of his law texts. Just to shake things up, he added a little prop. It had all begun he supposed with those two daisies he had placed behind his ear back at the Sterlings house just after Jeff's breakdown. Since then, Nick had tried to add something to the image when he could. Today he had a pair of spectacle frames with no lenses. He had discovered on returning from their sojourn in Europe that the lenses in his sunglasses had cracked. They had been an inexpensive pair, so it had not bothered him. He was left with a pair of frames after he removed the lenses, and he knew instantly that they could be used in a drawing pose one day. Now it worked - a reclining student, the glasses a supposed symbol of knowledge and learning.

Jeff had not known about them, and when he first looked up from his easel to seeing Nick wearing them he had gasped in shock. "I like it Nicky. Studious looking. If you ignore the fact that you are buck naked…" Nick laughed and held himself still as he carried on reading. He glanced up at the clock in the kitchen and saw it was 2pm. He realised that he would be marrying Jeff in exactly 21 days time - 504 hours from now. He tried not to smile, as the pose had to be held. It really wasn't very long at all now…

A draught caught him, and suddenly he heard the sound of someone who felt very awkward at the situation they had just landed in. "Err…hello guys," came Blaine's voice. Nick jumped slightly, but not enough to lose his pose. He could however feel his cheeks burning bright red, and a glance over at Jeff showed that he was the same shade of scarlet that he presumably was. Blaine was standing in between them, his eyes now tightly closed; Kurt was curled into his chest to avoid looking altogether.

"Oh, hey guys…so this is awkward," said Nick. "Jeff had to have some life drawing for his initial portfolio; he needed a model and so I volunteered. He feels weird about being dressed if I am naked, and so he strips off too. I'm not ashamed of it. I'm just helping him with his college work - and it's not just been me either.."

"He's right," said Jeff. "I have to do them, and I feel most comfortable doing them with Nick. And yeah, he isn't the only one…" He walked away from his easel and headed towards the desk. He completely pulled out a drawer, and removed the folder that had sat below it on the top of the cupboard below. As he walked back over, he saw that Blaine had opened his eyes, but his face was still the same colour as the buses had been in London. Kurt was still hiding his face, and Nick still sat there in his pose. Jeff pulled out two drawings and showed them to his angelic friend.

The first subject was no surprise to Blaine - if anyone was going to take their clothes off and pose, it would be Sebastian. He had his usual smug smirk on his face, as if to say 'I'm naked, and so what?' The second subject was a shocker. "Wes!?" Blaine stuttered in such a tone of incredulity that Kurt spun round, looked up and was almost instantly blushing hard - but he stared at the picture as hard as Blaine. "Wes posed for you naked? Was he drunk? It just doesn't seem like something the Wes I knew at Dalton would ever do…"

"He has changed a lot in the last few months," said Nick. "I think that he has finally realised that there has to be some fun in his life, not just study and the law all the time. He doesn't think we know, but he had Thad staying here for a week whilst we were in Europe, and since then he has really loosened up. He even said jokingly that Jeff should draw all of the Warblers in the nude as a team bonding kind of thing. At least, I think he was joking, but these days, with Wes, you are never quite sure…"

Kurt started to laugh out of nerves at that point - their was an image in his head now and it just wouldn't go away. As the other stared at him, he finally confessed. "I'm just picturing Wes, with his gavel and no uniform…" Nick burst out laughing at the thought, finally moving out of his pose as he did so. Blaine just shook his head - the image to him was more disturbing than funny.

Jeff sat in silence at his easel for a few moments, then he got up and made his way over to the bookshelf were a photo of the Warblers in 2010/11 sat. He took it in his hands and studied it closely, eventually carrying it over to the others as a thought entered his head. Maybe he could play Wes at his own game and call his bluff. After all, nearly everyone in this photo would be in New York in a couple of weeks and if he could persuade them (or get them drunk enough, one or the other) he could recreate the photo, sans uniform. There were six people missing of course - guys that had either left Dalton and just vanished from their world, or who had distanced themselves after the whole steroid scandal. He could ask Sebastian to take one of the spots and then, well he could ask Dave, Rory and Sam… He was certain that no-one else in his class would have an image such as the one he was imagining in their portfolio. That in combination with all his individual drawings would give him a head start. He could try re-jigging the position to hide the other empty spots… Now he just needed to broach the subject.

"I want to draw this," he said quietly, as he handed the photo to Nick, "but without the uniforms." He blushed fiercely and looked down at his feet as he waited for his reaction and that of the two angels.

"Wow…so you are going to take Wes up on his suggestion then?" said Nick in an equally hushed voice. "Same positions and everything I guess… I don't suppose that you would need us all to pose together, which would help… It's ambitious. Half of them could say no, even if you and I told them that it was in lieu of a wedding present. Plus you would have six gaps… I will help you ask them Jeffie. It would be unique and would get you a lot of credit at college. We could get it copied and let them all have a copy. And of course, strictly for Warbler eyes only."

Jeff nodded. "Definitely. I could fill four of the gaps - Sebastian is missing from the original of course, and I could ask the two honorary members, and even Dave. It could work Nicky…" He looked up at Kurt and Blaine, who stood their in slight shock at the direction things were going in. They knew that they had to say something - they could scupper the whole thing with their next words. If no-one ever found out other than the Warblers, then…

"We'll pose for you," Kurt blurted out. "I can't honestly believe that I am saying this, but yes, count us in."

Blaine nodded, and spoke up. "It will be tasteful, and as long as you leave out our wings, no-one will ever question it. And I have an idea for the other two gaps. Kurt could work on Finn - he has a lot of sway there these days, and Finn is far more mature than he used to be - plus we could tell him it is his induction to becoming an honorary Warbler. Sam you will have no problems with - he used to be a stripper after all - and if we use the full force of Blam, we should probably be able to convince Mike to do it. If we can tell him that Wes has already done it, he is even more likely to agree - those two are pretty close."

"The difficult ones will be Trent and Rory, because they are both shy. Jasper and Brad are still so young, and might feel self-conscious. I'd maybe leave asking those two until last, so that they will feel embarrassed about not doing it when everyone else has. A bit of reverse psychology." Kurt smiled at them, and then a frown crossed his face. "Of course, we might not be allowed to do it. There might be some rule that angels cannot sit around in the earthly realm naked. I doubt it, but we can check up on it and let you know - that is going to be a fun conversation with my mom…"

"If she gives us the ok, we could come and pose for you tomorrow," said Blaine. It was agreed, and with that the two angels left. Jeff had a smile on his face as Nick returned to his early position. This was going to be something else if he could pull it off.

That evening, Wes arrived back at the loft just before Jeff had to leave for his late shift at the diner. Nick had elected to go with him - he always felt safer when he knew that his fiancé was travelling with someone on the subway in the early hours of the morning - and for once, none of the others across the landing were scheduled to be on duty for the late finish. Nick would not just sit there and watch - he would help take food to the tables, wipe down surfaces and sing. His duets with Jeff were already a legend amongst the regulars at the Spotlight, and they were all fully aware that the two of them were getting married very soon. As was usual, the two boys had cooked an early dinner for themselves - this evening, Nick had prepared a goulash, his cooking skills having come on in leaps and bounds in the last couple of months. In fact, though Wes would never let on, Nick's food was becoming quite a legend amongst the Warblers, and after their recent trip, had taken on a distinctly European flavour. He had prepared a lot, which was just as well, as Sebastian and Dave had shown up just as he was dishing out the meal. Jeff was convinced that this was no coincidence, but it did give him an excellent opportunity to mention his plans.

"So Dave, how is living with Sebastian?" said Jeff.

"It's good so far - then again, it has only been two nights, so I'm sure that we will start to fight about something soon…"

"That's true. When I first moved in with Jeff, we lasted a week before we had a major fight over who should clean the bath - it's either something like that, or you find out that they've been keeping a secret from you…" Dave glanced over at Nick after he said that, then pointedly across at Sebastian.

"I drew Nick again today," said Jeff. "It turned out really well - if you guys want to see it, it's in the red folder over there, along with the ones of you and Wes, Sebastian."

That was when Wes suddenly noticed that the red folder was sitting on the table, right in front of the chair on which Dave was seated. Before he could do anything, Dave had picked it up and opened it, and was confronted by a picture of Sebastian..

"Ok….wow. It certainly captures you Bas, though maybe Jeff has exaggerated the drawing in a couple of places…" He flinched as Sebastian smacked him on the shoulder. He lifted the first drawing, and was confronted by the image of Wes. "I'd have expected him to agree, but you…"

"My little Starling needed a model and I always try and help my flock - and to be frank, it was a very liberating experience. You should try it sometime…"

"Actually, that brings us to a very interesting point," said Jeff, a grin on his face. "Kurt and Blaine turned up whilst I was drawing Nick…" he paused as Dave lifted the drawing of Wes, and was faced with the one of the reclining Nick - he turned the folder round so that Sebastian and Wes could get a good look - "…and once they had got over their initial embarrassment, I mentioned what you said Wes about getting all the Warblers to pose for me, and they thought it might be a good idea. They even said they would do it for me. So, Dave, will you join us and pose for me?"

At that point, Nick brought over the photo and placed it in front of a dazed and shocked Dave. "The idea is to recreate this photo as much as is possible, with substitutes for the 'lost' members. We kind of thought that you and Sebastian could take these two spots beside David. If you don't want to, then we will completely understand. All I will say is that the aim of the picture is to give Jeff a big advantage when he gets to college - after all, I doubt anyone else will have such a group life drawing in their portfolio. Only his tutors and the other Warblers will ever see the finished result."

"We can promise that. We already hide that red folder from Santana on a regular basis, and it was only out today because we wanted you to see it," said Jeff. "And I would also draw one of you and Seb together for you to keep, and look at through the years as you get older…"

Dave looked at Sebastian, who had a look on his face that was a cross between hope and excitement. It also was kind of saying 'If you don't want to, then I will totally understand why, but I'd really like you too, because I think it would be fun…' Dave shook his head, and took a deep breath. "I can't believe that I am agreeing to this, but if you guys can do it, and it will be tasteful, then why not."

With a squeal of delight, Jeff jumped up and gave him a hug, in way of thanks. Inside, he was thinking 'One down, 13 more to go…"


	11. Portrait of an Angel

_Posting this a day earlier than usual due to circumstances over which I have no control - but in return, will be posting an extra chapter this week, sometime on Monday. Thanks for reading!_

 **Portrait of an Angel**

The following day, Nick and Jeff awoke fairly late - it had been near to 4am by the time they had got home to the loft, and they had fallen into bed exhausted. They found that Wes had left for the library again - Nick had a shift there himself in just over three hours time, but it was only a four hour stint, so it wasn't too bad. They had time for breakfast - it being a Sunday, Jeff had prepared Croque Monsieur rather than their usual toast and cereal, and they had sat and ate it in companionable silence. They took a shower together - to save water of course - and then dressed. Nick had just been about to head out the door when they felt a draught, and three angels appeared in the room. They looked at them in anticipation - Kurt smiled and said "Mom has given us permission - and Finn has said yes, as long as people don't see his… you know…" Jeff looked at Nick, and the two of them burst out laughing. Once Jeff had stopped, he told Finn that he would do his best to ensure that. Finn would be standing at the back next to Kurt in any case, with Mike and Sam, if they agreed, standing in front of him.

"You're going to ask Mike? He might do it, I suppose," said Finn. "After all, he did volunteer to play Frank N Furter in the Rocky Horror Show back at McKinley, until his parents stopped him…"

"And just as the conversation gets interesting," said Nick with a sigh, "I really have to go or I'll be late for work." He gave Jeff a kiss, then ran off downstairs.

It turned out that Finn couldn't stay either - he had a collection to make, but he arranged a time with Jeff, when they would be alone, to come back and pose. He bade his farewells, then vanished as quickly as he had arrived.

"He seems to do a lot of collections," remarked Jeff. "Wes was just saying to Santana the other day that he was always out on them and that was why we never saw him."

"Something like that," said Blaine, his eyes downcast. "Anyway, we are free and are here to be drawn, before we change our minds, so if you want to get your easel set up, we can start on it. After all, it won't seem that strange to us to be naked in this room…" He winked at Kurt, who blushed bright red.

"At least this time Rachel won't walk in on us and scream the place down," said Kurt.

"Nor will Santana walk in silently, stand and watch for a minute, and then scream 'Wanky' at us," commented Blaine.

Jeff smiled at the idea of his two friends being as happy as he and Nick were in this very loft. It hadn't been for long, but they had been truly happy here, he could tell. He went and locked the door, and put on the bolt, and then collected all his art equipment. He set up his easel in the usual spot by the big window. He asked them to stand for him as they did in the photo, to ensure that all the muscle tones were correct. There was still one question that he had to ask - what he should be wearing whilst he was drawing them.

As if he had anticipated the question, Kurt said "We've discussed what you should do as you draw us, and we decided that it is best for you as an artist to be in your comfort zone. So, whatever you did whilst you drew Sebastian and Wes is fine by us."

Jeff nodded as he continued to sort out his art equipment - ensure that his pencils were sharp and that he had all the ones that he would need. Then he asked the two angels to adopt the same stance as they had in the photo.

"So, as Wes said on the day in question," Blaine joked, "Chests out, shoulders in."

This got a chortle from Jeff as he prepared to draw. He noticed that they had both taken the same facial expressions as they had in the photo - the ill disguised look of adoration on Blaine's face, the shy sideways glance from Kurt. Then he undressed, took up his pencil, and began. 'I've come a long way from the start of July,' he thought. 'Then even the prospect of drawing Nicky naked filled me with horror. Now I've drawn him several times - and today I am drawing my fourth and fifth friends in the same state. Maybe I have gotten over my fear. I hope that it isn't just because I feel as vulnerable as they are being naked too. After all, I will have to draw subjects in class, and I can't very well draw them dressed like this…"

It did not take Jeff long to capture his two friends on paper. He was gifted in that respect - he could capture in a few pencil lines what many other artists would have required hours of dedicated concentration to achieve. He spent most of his time on their eyes and on the facial expressions which made them so adorable in the original photo. He fussed over the light and shade; used a darker, harder pencil to capture Blaine's skin tone. He captured Kurt's lean, toned torso and the slight bit of a tummy that Blaine, try as hard as he might, could never quite remove. When he was done, he called them over, and they both looked on in awe. He had drawn everything but their feet ("You two are in the back row of the photo, and so they will be hidden"). He had been generous in his perspective and proportions, and both angels had to agree that the portrait was flawless.

"I'd like to draw you both again, if you will let me, clothed but with your wings. Maybe that isn't allowed, but it would just be for the Warblers and New Directions to see, and this is going to sound terrible, but it would help me with drawing birds… Say no of you don't want to - I fully understand if you'd rather not." He looked at them with such pleading eyes that neither of them could refuse, as long as Elizabeth said that it was alright. Kurt went to check, just remembering in time to dress. Once he was gone, Blaine sat down again in front of the easel, his torso bare, and extended his wings. Jeff took the hint and began to draw his body; if Elizabeth said no, he could just leave out the wings.

As it happened, Elizabeth once again saw no problem with it, so Kurt came back with the news, then sat on the sofa, watching whilst Jeff's pencil flew across the page, capturing his husband in his winged glory. Jeff was moving towards the upper part of Blaine's torso, having initially concentrated on his stomach, when Kurt suddenly had a wicked idea. He walked over to Jeff and whispered in his ear - the latter smiled and gave a giggle. Blaine looked curious as Kurt walked over to the neat pile of Blaine's upper clothing and extracted his bowtie. Blaine realised where this was going and shook his head, but did nothing to stop Kurt coming over and tying it around his neck. Jeff couldn't hide his delight, although he heard Blaine mumble something about looking like a Chippendale. Kurt just smiled, unaware that even now Blaine was thinking about what he could ask Jeff to include in his picture of Kurt. Perhaps he could ask him to pose with an expression of sheer innocence on his face, but with a broken halo above his head…

By the time that Jeff finished with Blaine, he realised that Wes would be due home any moment, and said so. Kurt said that it would be best if they went and left the house to Jeff, and the latter agreed, albeit slightly reluctantly. Kurt said he would come back the following day, but that Blaine had somewhere else to be. As Jeff started to put everything away, he was grateful that he had such good and co-operative friends he could rely on. He hoped that the other Warblers would be as agreeable, but if not, then he could always just take a guess at what was lurking below those blazers.

As Blaine pulled his shirt back on, he came to stand behind Jeff and admire his picture. He did look pretty impressive - and whether it was the pose, or just his friend being generous, his tummy looked far less pronounced in the second picture. Kurt was positive that he wanted a copy, albeit on a smaller scale, to keep in their own loft. Jeff left them to look at the drawing as he went to pull down the bolt and unlock the door. He did so just in time as he could hear Wes talking to someone (probably Thad, he thought) on the phone as he came up the stairs. When he turned back, Blaine had already gone, and Kurt was stood there, apologising, saying that his mom had just called on them to hurry back. Jeff understood and wished Kurt goodbye, before he too vanished. He was just taking the pad off the easel as Wes arrived. All in all, it had been a very productive day.

Over the next two weeks, drawing and his shifts at the diner left Jeff with no time to worry about the finer details of the wedding. He had had a number of awkward conversations; Trent and Rory had both gone bright red and ended the Skype call when he asked them, but later they agreed when they realised that everyone else would be doing it. At that point, that wasn't strictly true, but a little white lie never really hurt. Thad was surprisingly an immediate yes; David came over all shy and bashful, and he only agreed after a long phone conversation with Wes. Beats and Flint had arrived from Princeton one Saturday night to take them out - and the next morning the two of them had posed for Jeff side by side, the first of the front row to do so. As Wes remarked, the fact that the two of them might still have been slightly drunk did help matters. Sam was, as Blaine had guessed, no problem, but he only did so after clearing it with Rachel, who swore on Barbra Streisand's life not to tell anyone what was going on. To be honest, she found the whole idea hilarious. Sam then made the call to Mike on Jeff's behalf - his friend was reluctant until he pointed out that Jeff would draw him a portrait to keep as well, which he could always pass on to someone special… The hardest call that Jeff felt he would have to make was to Brad and Jasper; he hardly felt able to even broach the subject with them. When he did, he found that they, like Ethan and Drew before them, said yes with no hesitation whatsoever. As all of them said, it was an honour to be asked, and a pleasure to help out a good friend.

For his part, Nick was also busy at work - the library was beginning to pick up again as the students began to trickle back into the city and prepare for the new semester. Others were arriving for the first time, and like him, were reading up before they started their courses. He still found that he had time to relax on his late shifts - on some of them, he felt as if he was more or less alone in the library. It was on one of those nights that Wes appeared and asked him if he would read his thesis before he sent it in. He trusted the younger man to be a fair judge, and he would also understand most of the legal jargon that it was littered with. It took Nick two nights to finish, but he was impressed. It did bring back some uncomfortable memories of the trial, even though Wes had done his best to gloss over the most harrowing parts. He gave Wes his honest opinion, that it was close to perfect - Wes thanked him, and got up early the next morning to take the train to Boston, to hand it over in person to his tutor. As for the wedding, Nick did have an occasional phone call, but there were no major issues. The only plan that had to be changed was the icing on the cupcakes. They could not for some reason manage to produce light blue frosting, and could only manage navy blue. Nick sighed, and agreed to it, but only if a red stripe could be added across the top. He laughed to himself after he hung up - he had no idea what people would say when they saw Dalton colours cupcakes at the reception.


	12. Welcoming Mike

**Welcoming Mike**

On the 14th of August, both Nick and Jeff took a day off work - Mike was officially moving in, and they both wanted to be there to greet him, and give him a hand carrying his belongings in. Some people had questioned why Nick and Jeff had been so happy to let him move into the loft, but they were just unaware of how close the three of them had become in the few months they had all lived in Chicago. Kurt had been the facilitator of the original meeting up - he was aware that Mike felt quite lonely at times so far away from all of his old friends, and he knew that Nick and Jeff would benefit from having someone around that wasn't family. He had got them to meet up at the coffee shop one night, and at first, the conversation had been stilted and difficult. Then Jeff started to talk about dancing, Mike had become enthused and started to tell them all about his college course at Joffrey; before any of them knew it, he was teaching Nick and Jeff the tango in the middle of the now closed coffee shop. They had begun to meet up on a regular basis, and had been around for each other in the hard weeks between Blaine's funeral and the Klaine wedding. It was only after Nick and Jeff had moved to New York that Mike realised just how much he had enjoyed their company. That had spurred his decision to seek a transfer to Julliard, and once he had it, catching up with the two of them became a priority. As for actually living with them - well, he knew how mad they could be, and what he was potentially letting himself in for. Frankly, he was looking forward to it.

The whole issue of the naked drawing had been a surprise - but then again, it wasn't. He knew that kind of art had to be part of Jeff's course, and had been expecting to one day walk in on him drawing Nick from the very moment he had agreed to move in. He had not contemplated being asked to be the subject, at least not so soon. At first when Sam had broached the idea, his mind had screamed no - but then he had realised something. He was being asked to stand there with the Dalton Warblers; the legendary group that had formed around Wes in his senior year. The group that should have won Regionals that year had it not been for the narrow minded perception amongst some of the judges that Dalton appeared to be a 'gay school'. Mike knew that the New Directions had been very lucky; very lucky indeed. It would be an honour to stand there, at the request of Nick and Jeff - albeit naked. He had danced shirtless at one show at college, and to him it was no big deal. His position in the picture, next to Sam, in front of Finn and Kurt, behind Beats and Flint, it was a good one. It wasn't as if his parents would ever see it. The clincher had been Sam's offer to stand at his side and let Jeff draw them both at the same time. It would be a lot less awkward with him around.

He left Lima in the early hours, and drove the hired van steadily, managing to avoid the worst of the traffic. He arrived in time for a late lunch - and then they began to carry everything up. Nick and Jeff had been joined by Sam and Wes; Sebastian and Dave appeared just as they began, and between the seven of them, they made swift progress. By six that day, the van was back at the hire company, and although there was still a lot to unpack, he was officially in. He had offered to take them all out to dinner as a thank you, but Nick had already made plans to roast a chicken; Wes had shown off his own culinary skills and had made a pot of noodle soup, and Sebastian had brought a homemade cheesecake, proof that he too was no slouch in the kitchen. Sam was invited to join them, as the three girls were all at work, and he agreed. He went back over the landing first and returned with some chips and a couple of bottles of sparking cider in lieu of champagne. As they all sat together, Mike felt at home. Getting used to the frenetic pace of life in New York was going to be a challenge, but with such good friends by his side, he wasn't going to fail. Tomorrow night, he would show off his own skills in the kitchen - cooking was one of his own secret pleasures.

As he lay quietly in his bed that night, becoming accustomed to the sounds of Bushwick, he could only smile. Then he realised that Wes was also still awake in the space that he had called home for nearly 8 months, most of the time with Sebastian in the corner that he now occupied.

"It takes a while to get used to the city, particularly if you have been in dorms - the neighbourhoods they occupy tend to be much quieter," Wes said suddenly. "It took me about a fortnight to be able to sleep here as well as I used to in Harvard. Then, the night I went back…"

"You couldn't sleep there because it was too quiet," said Mike, finishing his sentence.

"Yeah, exactly. I'll get used to it again, but in the long run, I'll be moving back here. I could get a job in Boston easily, but it's too near my family and their connections. Here in New York, I've been free to be me, and I like it. So once school is over, I'll be straight back. And of course, he will be here…"

"Who?" said Mike.

Wes was silent for a moment, then very quietly said "Thad. I've never admitted it to anyone before Mike, only just admitted it to myself, and I trust you not to repeat this… I've fallen in love with him. I never wanted to just be his friend, not from the moment I saw him, if I'm honest. The whole thing scares me. My family will not like it one bit. So I have to come here. Then I can be happy, with him…"

Mike was silent for a moment, and Wes thought that he had made a mistake in trusting him with his deepest thoughts. But then, he spoke. "My mom and dad liked Tina, but they always had someone else in mind for me long term - the daughter of a family friend. I was brought up to respect my parents wishes, like you; and although they had allowed me to pursue my dancing, they also have me taking a correspondence business course as a safety net. I didn't want to at first, but I can see the reasons for it now. But when it comes to love, I decided that I have to follow my own heart. Mia is a lovely girl, don't get me wrong, but she isn't Tina. For all of her flaws, I love every bit of her, even her tendency to be overemotional. I want to spend my life with her; I'm going to spend my life with her; and if it means defying my parents, then it's what I have to do. You were raised like me in the traditional way, but I guess I am lucky - after all, I love the wrong girl…"

"And I love a man. I tried to hide it, to change, but you just can't stop being who you are. I considered just staying single my whole life, but I want to be happy Mike. I deserve to be."

"If Thad is the one for you, then you have to go for it. If there is one lesson that I learnt from all the tragedy last year, it's that you have to take your chance at happiness when it comes. I take it he likes you?"

"Oh yeah. He has for a long time. The signs where there when we were at Dalton. If I had been braver…"

"But you are being brave now. I'm pretty sure you two will be very happy together. From what I have seen, he's a good guy. Until you're ready, your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks Mike, though I think that amongst the Warblers at least, most of them have guessed. In the meantime, if you need any tips on how to cope with living with love's young dream, just call me." Mike laughed softly, then closed his eyes. He and Wes were both asleep within moments.

The following day, Mike had nothing on - literally. Jeff had a free morning, Nick and Wes were out and Sam was also at home. So it made perfect sense to let Jeff draw the two of them there and then. It felt odd standing in the living room of the loft naked for about a minute, and then Sam started talking about football, and it was almost like being back in the locker room at McKinley. They had been given a chance before they started to look through Jeff's other drawings - the two of them had laughed at Blaine in his bowtie; Kurt with his impish expression and tarnished halo; and Wes looking stern with nothing but a gavel. For their part in the big drawing, Sam just had to do his usual smile, whereas Mike attempted successfully to look nonchalant. They had seen Jeff draw before, but had never seen the intensity with which he worked until then. When he was finished, they were both more than satisfied with the result.

For Mike's solo picture, Jeff had hit on the idea of getting him to use some of the theatrical props that had been bought by Sebastian whilst they were in Europe. He produced the top hat that he had bought in Edinburgh, and they discovered that it was a perfect fit. Seeing it gave Sam an idea, and he rushed across the landing to the other loft, returning moments later with a cane. It was then pointed out to him that he probably should have got dressed before he did so, but it was too late now. Mike was now able to pose in his best Fred Astaire position, and the final touch was provided when Jeff suddenly recalled that Sebastian had also bought a white silk scarf. It completed the image for all three of them. Jeff drew quickly as it wasn't the easiest of poses for Mike to hold, particularly as Sam was also having to hold up the ends of the scarf to simulate movement. The finished result was so much of a success that Mike took a photo of it on his phone, albeit from the waist up and sent it to Tina. Her reply when it came was so enthusiastic that the other two laughed - until Mike asked sheepishly if he could hold on to the hat and cane until after the wedding.

"Mike Chang, you dog…" said Jeff in scandalised tones, as Sam just gave him an extremely theatrical wink. They got dressed after that and had a quick bite for lunch, before Sam and Jeff had to set off for the diner, leaving Mike to unpack properly.


	13. Stag Night, Warbler style

**Stag Night, Warbler style.**

That Friday evening was the last that month that could be described as normal. The next day marked one week to go before the wedding and would see the arrival of the majority of the former Warblers in Manhattan. Trent and Rory were due to arrive at Penn station in the early afternoon; David and Thad had been in Ohio visiting their families, and would arrive at about the same time. However, two people would be arriving far earlier than that - and at one o'clock, Wes found himself standing alongside Nick and Jeff at JFK waiting for them. Their flight had arrived early and now all they had to do was clear security checks. Jeff saw them first, and they could not fail to see him as he literally bounced up and down with excitement. There was a moment of greeting as the two fiancés embraced their two friends - they had seen them last only 8 weeks before, but it seemed like forever. For Wes, it was over two years since he had last met up with them, at their graduation from Dalton, when they had sung _Hit me Baby One More Time_ with the other senior Warblers. After two years at university in England, Ethan and Drew were finally back in the States. Nick and Jeff found themselves left with their luggage as Wes held out his outstretched arms and the two rushed over to hug him tight. Half the airport was staring at them, but they didn't care. Two long lost members of his flock had returned, but he had an issue. He wanted to know why Ethan had dyed his hair a lighter blond, and styled it so he looked exactly like Jeff…

Ethan and Drew had been booked into the New Yorker hotel for their stay in the city. They had been given the room next door to the honeymoon suite that Nick and Jeff would be occupying in a week's time. David and Thad would also be staying there, but on the floor below. As the five of them sat together on the E Train, Nick and Jeff listened as the two of them filled Wes in with the details of their lives at Oxford and Cambridge. He in turn regaled them with the joys of living with the boys in Bushwick, and of the work he had done for his thesis, before he then revealed something that shocked both Nick and Jeff, as he hadn't told them. He had been waiting for a good time - it had never come, so better now than never.

"I will be going back to Harvard next week and I will miss the city. It began quite traumatically with the court case, but after that, well it has been a heck of a lot of fun. I've learned a lot about myself in the time I've been here, and I wouldn't change much about the last few months for anything. It has cost me one thing though - my place in the Harvard Glee Club…"

"What?" said Nick, he and Jeff both shocked at the news.

"They kicked me out because I haven't attended any of the meetings this year. They were very nice about it, knew why, but they still had to apply the rules. And there is no possibility of re-entry. It would have been a really big deal this time last year, but now all I can think is - their loss. So I have an audition next Sunday for the Hasty Pudding Club instead. The good news is I am almost guaranteed to get in - the bad news is I will have to get the overnight train right after the wedding reception…"

For a moment, Nick thought that Jeff was going to burst into tears, so crestfallen had his face become. "You will still be there for most of it? You won't have to leave really early to go and pick stuff up first?" said Jeff.

"The train leaves about 2.30am, so I will be with you until at least an hour before that. Don't worry my little Starling, I will see you and Dove well and truly married first. And I will be coming back to New York at least once a month for a night out with you two, Sebastian, Beats and Flint. Who knows, I may even move back permanently when I finish school…"

Jeff's face lit up. "Really! You'll come and live here?"

"Yes, I think that I just might…"

As Jeff hugged himself with glee, Nick smiled and thought to himself 'I'm sure that your decision has nothing to do with the fact that Thad is going to be coming here when he finishes at UCLA. You've fallen for him, just like I did for Jeff. I will give it a while yet before you will admit it, but you are in love with him. And that just makes me so happy.' Realising that Jeff was staring at him, Nick pulled him into a deep hug, to a chorus of "Awww" from Ethan and Drew.

Whilst Ethan and Drew checked in, Nick and Jeff took a quick stroll to the Crystal Ballroom; there was another function on in the room that evening, but at the moment the room was set up and empty. They peered through the slightly open door - the function co-ordinator saw them and opened the door to let them in. They stood on the threshold, observing the room, the decoration far more gaudy than they would ever have chosen, but to everyone their own taste. "This time next week, Nicky, we will be here, with all our friends and family, and I will be Mr Sterling-Duval," said Jeff, with a grin on his face.

"I think I'm busy that day," said Nick with a laugh - then replied, "Oh yeah, that's right, I'm becoming Mr Sterling-Duval too."

"What a coincidence," said Jeff. "It is a bit scary thought, isn't it? We are so young - barely 20 years old."

"Young on the outside, but mature on the inside. We know what we want, what we need, and that's each other. That will still be true when we reach our hundredth wedding anniversary…"

"Now that is a scary thought," said Jeff, who could barely imagine still being alive in a century's time.

Nick nodded, then looked at his watch. "We'd best head back to the lobby. David and Thad should be here by now. Then we are all heading back to Bushwick so they can catch up with the others, and then we head off to our bachelor party…"

Wes had taken his role as head groomsman seriously from the moment that he was asked. His first duty had been to sit down and strategise; to choreograph the entire event from the arrival to the departure of the grooms, via nuptials. He had to get input from his loyal subordinates, Trent and Sebastian. Between them, there was an army of other people to plan for. He had turned his eyes heavenwards at times for inspiration and at first Kurt and Blaine had provided him with invaluable input, but that had all but stopped now. Unbeknown to the grooms, Wes had a rehearsal planned for the groomsmen and ushers the following evening - Mercedes had agreed to deputise for Nick, and Jeff would be replaced by Brittany. One solid and reliable, the other more likely to get overexcited, just as with the two grooms. Before that however, he had to organise a bachelor party. There would be only one, and it would not be restricted to bachelors either - he had thought about it, then had realised that if Santana was free, she would kill him for not letting her attend. As fate would have it, Santana had to work that night, as did Brittany; Rachel was on stage; Tina was still in Ohio with family and Quinn and Puck were still in Virginia. The newer members of the New Directions would not be around until nearer the actual wedding, and the same was true for all of the family members invited. Grace had demurred, on the grounds that she would not expect Nick to be at her pre-wedding party, when it happened. So it turned out that Dani and Mercedes were the only two of Niff's female friends in town and free. They came to watch…

So the party was small, which suited them all. The happy couple were joined by Ethan and Drew, Beats and Flint, Trent and Rory, Dave and Sebastian, Thad and David, Mike and Sam, Artie, Cooper and of course Wes himself. Elliot would join them later as he was working. They began at the Chinese restaurant that they had come to on the day that Jeff gave evidence in the trial. It was the best in town, and all the memories there were happy. Food was ordered and shared as it had been that night - only the baked frog was strictly off limits. Ethan and Drew had produced a pair of white metal plates with a red L on them to hang around the two boys necks. This was greeted with some curiosity, until they explained that it was part of a very British tradition of the Stag Night. Nick and Jeff were both extremely grateful not to be British when they heard about the fact that grooms were made to wear dresses, had their eyebrows shaved off, were often tied naked to lamp standards and worst of all, were thrown drunk onto long distance express trains. Something far more sedate was what they wanted.

Due to their age, the amount of alcohol flowing that night was also very limited indeed, at least at the restaurant. Once they had finished their meals, they headed north towards a certain club, stopping off at the bakery on the way for chocolate fudge cake, at Jeff's request, for Nick and himself. Wes kept quiet, but Sebastian could not resist and asked if it was wise for Jeff to buy cake. This got some curious looks, and in the end, Jeff felt obliged to tell everyone what had happened in Amsterdam. Wes showed everyone the video that Sebastian had made and that he still had loaded on his phone. Everyone except Trent and Rory laughed out loud - they were far too mortified at their own part in the whole saga. Nick and Jeff said nothing, just ate their cake, whilst both secretly plotting that if they ever all happened to be in Colorado, they might just buy some legal cannabis and bake a cake for their friends…

It was well before normal opening time when they arrived at the club, but a quick knock at the door saw it flung open by Elliot. He was friends with the club's manager and had managed to get private use of the club for a couple of hours. He had headed there straight from his job and had helped to set up. The bar staff were in place and the DJ was in his booth. As soon as they entered, the music started. Jeff laughed out loud as he heard the first song - _Everybody Knows (Except You)_. Nick shook his head, then looked pointedly at Wes, then over at Thad. They both noticed him do so, but nobody else did, too busy laughing at Jeff as he recreated most of his actions from that night at Dalton. The music then changed constantly after that - a mixture of up to the minute pop and rock, mixed with some classics from the sixties and seventies, and every so often, a tune that meant something special to Nick and Jeff. There was dancing, hilarity and drinking - after all, the club knew they were all of legal age from their IDs. So it went on for the first ninety minutes. Then the music stopped and Wes took to the microphone.

"Gentleman and Ladies, now we have the entertainment. Against my better judgement, Sebastian reminded me that there is only one sort of entertainer traditional at a bachelor party. I'm ashamed to say that Trent, who I always thought was so sweet and innocent, sided with Sebastian. So Nick, Jeff, I gave into pressure and got you one. And to make it even more mortifying, we actually all know them. They volunteered for the job. So, put your hands together for Ms Santana Lopez…" He laughed as Sebastian choked on his drink, Trent went pure white and Mercedes, who realised what he was doing, burst out in a fit of giggles. "Only kidding… She gave me permission to do that by the way, and when I tell her just how the two best men reacted, she will be very pleased. Ok, without any further ado, here for you, my two soon to be married Warblers, is the one, the only, White Chocolate…"

Mercedes stopped laughing, and gasped. Rory's mouth fell open, as did Dave's. Cooper shook his head and covered his eyes. The music began, Tom Jones singing _You can leave your hat on_. The lights dimmed, and suddenly there on the stage, in the spotlight, stood Sam. Wes now choked as he saw what he was wearing - full Dalton uniform. There were stares from around the room as he began to dance, bringing everything he had learnt in Kentucky to the fore. He flung the blazer into the small crowd - it found a bullseye on Ethan, who didn't quite know how to react. As the routine continued, and more of the uniform flew into the crowd, Thad leant over to Wes, who had staggered back from the stage to stand between Thad and David, and with a cheeky grin said "Now this routine might just have won us Regionals." Wes and David both burst out laughing, but it was cut short when they heard a rip as Velcro was pulled apart, and Sam's uniform trousers were pulled off, revealing a pair of fitted boxers with the Dalton crest on them. Nick and Jeff had gone from mortified, to stunned, to enjoying every minute, although when Jeff pointed out that the song had been used in the film _The Full Monty,_ they both seriously hoped that Sam would not take things that far.

Sam had indeed stopped as the song did, although he had grabbed at the waistband of the boxers as if he was about to rip them off in the same way he had the trousers - the gesture had caused Mercedes to bury her face in David's shoulder - he along with Wes, Mike and Cooper had shut their eyes in anticipation. But he ended still clad in them, a Dalton tie and a pair of black brogue shoes with sensible black socks. As the applause began, lead by Sebastian and bizarrely, Beats, Wes dared to open his eyes. He felt that it was now safe to return to the stage, and thank White Chocolate for his show. Sam took one final bow, winked at Nick and Jeff, who both blushed furiously and headed off to change back into the clothes he had come out with them in. The music started up again, and Wes left the stage, to be grabbed almost at once by Nick on his right and Jeff on his left. To his shock, both boys leant in and kissed him on the cheek.

"At first, Wes, we were like - a stripper? Trust Sebastian! Then when we saw it was Sam…"

Jeff stopped, and Nick took over. "Sam is pretty hot to look at and we all know that both Kurt and Blaine had a crush on him at one time - so it was quite alright for both of us to think so too. The fact that he was also in a Dalton uniform…."

"I know….we need to get lessons from Sam, Nicky - and a pair of those boxers as a special thank you to Wes," said Jeff. Nick nodded in agreement.

Wes was not sure if they were being serious or not. "Yes, he would look pretty good in those boxers," said Thad, who Wes now realised had been standing behind him. Jeff looked at Nick, who just smiled and nodded. Then Jeff's eyes opened wide for a moment as his jaw dropped and he suddenly got it.

It was almost time for the club to open to the public. The manager made his way over to Nick and Jeff and guided them to the table that they had coveted, but never occupied, since their first visit here over a year ago - a weekend with Kurt and Blaine before the wedding, when those two had also pointed at that table in envy. Even Rachel Berry had never managed to sit there. Tonight, thanks to Elliot, it was theirs. It was large enough that most of their party could join them there, or at least place their drinks safely on the table. The club opened its doors, and that was when Beats casually informed Ethan and Drew that it was a gay club, then proceeded to whip off his shirt as usual, and dance like a demon with Flint, Mike and a redressed Sam. It wasn't too long before Ethan and Drew joined them - and eventually Nick and Jeff came down to, and ended up dancing on a podium.

From his vantage point at the best table, Wes watched over his flock as they enjoyed themselves. It made his heart happy to see them all like this. It was like it had been before Hunter. He found himself putting an arm round Thad, who was sitting next to him. He no longer cared who saw - pretty much everybody knew by now in any case. Jeff had been more or less the final person to realise that Wes had fallen for Thad. It was ironic that the young man that had spent the best part of his time at Dalton bemoaning the fact that Nick couldn't see that he loved him, was the last, more or less, to realise how Thad felt about Wes. The fact was that Wes had now fallen for Thad in a slightly slowed down version of how Nick had fallen for Jeff. The difference was that he had always known that he was gay, deep down. His family and his upbringing had made him hide it. He had dated more than one girl whilst at Dalton, gaining the reputation of being the perfect gentleman. He had even begun to believe his own myth. Then death had come to their little world, and he had realised just how short life was. 'A grand gesture soon,' he thought, as he smiled at the younger man that was now leaning right in close to him, 'and then we make it official by Christmas - that is the plan.'

They were not the last people to leave the club that night, but it was pretty close. Nick and Jeff had given up the podium after an hour or so; Beats and Mike had taken it over for a while, and had impressed with their moves. Thad had managed to persuade Wes to dance with him and the two of them moved in surprisingly fluid form amongst the crowds on the dance floor. They did so for nearly an hour, by the end of which both of them were shirtless. This was all easily observed from the best table, so Nick and Jeff had a ringside seat as the two of them danced closer and closer. Although all of the others came to the table at some point during that hour, the only other person that noticed was Mercedes, who could only smile at how happy they both looked. The group broke up finally at the door to the club - taxis had been ordered, and this time Wes insisted on taking one back to Bushwick, but only after seeing the group bound for the New Yorker safely on their way. He ended up sat in the back of the cab between Nick and Jeff; he saw them up the stairs and safely off to bed. He walked into his own room and smiled as he saw Mike, fully dressed, sound asleep on the top of his bed. As Wes climbed into his own bed, all he could think was that the bachelor party had been, all in all, a great success.

At the New Yorker, having separated from Ethan and Drew at the elevator, Thad walked along the corridor to his room in silence. It was late, but he was happy. He had danced with the man he loved, shirtless, in public, at a club. This time last year, there was no way that he could even have dreamed of that happening. He let himself into the room, closed the door, and did a little victory dance. "What's that in aid of?" came the voice of David. Thad had expected him to be asleep. He had left with Mercedes long before he had been placed in a taxi by Wes. "Actually, that was a rhetorical question. I know. You got to dance with him in public tonight, and let's be honest, I don't think either of us ever expected that to happen."

"I know - it's like a dream come true," said Thad, coming to sit on the end of David's bed. "I always thought that I was going to end up like Jeff, but without the revelation of my Nick. I know now just how much he cares for me - I think you might have known far longer that he did - but the whole thing scares him. His family are so very important to him, and they wouldn't approve. They don't even like him being in the Warblers; singing of any kind is so frowned on by his parents. If he went to them and said that he was in love with me, they'd freak out and disown him. And I don't want him to lose his family over me… But at the same time…"

"You love him with all your heart and soul. You would go to the ends of the earth for him. You don't ever want to see him hurt. And if it came to a choice and he chose them, you'd say nothing." David stared at his friend as he nodded in sad agreement. "Wes has changed Thad. He's not the same guy he was last year. Family means a variety of things these days, to everyone. Wes sees his parents, his brothers and all the rest as his family - but he sees the Warblers as his other family. When Carmichael made Wes the Head Warbler in perpetuity, he knew he was only confirming what we all already knew. Wes would crawl over hot coals and broken glass for us, his boys. We are closer to him than his own family in many ways. And our family has grown much larger to cover not just the honorary Warblers, but also the bulk of the New Directions, Cooper, Burt and Carole. When he chooses you - and I think he will, given time… Wes has never liked to be rushed - don't forget that I have known him far longer than any of you, and he always likes time to make decisions. When he chooses you, he will still have his 'family' in all of us. You will get him - and I hereby promise the two of you a bachelor party every bit as good as that one, if not better. Maybe, if you are really lucky, I will get Sam to give me some lessons…" With a wink at Thad, he yawned, and announced that he needed to sleep. Thad agreed, and soon the two of them were curled up in their own beds. Thad had thought he might be too excited to sleep, but like David, he fell asleep almost as soon as he let his head touch the pillow.


	14. Jitters Part One

**Jitters Part One**

The week before the wedding was a blur for everyone. Nick and Jeff tried to carry on with normal life as much as they could - they both had work to go to until Thursday, and they would both be back at work on the Monday after the wedding. Nick's last day as a single man at the law library passed off as much as normal for an afternoon shift, then 20 minutes before he was due to finish, the chief librarian sent him off into the stacks to seek out an obscure textbook. When he came back 10 minutes later, the issue desk had been decorated with balloons, and all of his colleagues, not to mention a lot of the regular users, were there to cheer him. There were gifts, hugs and a new name badge with 'Nick Sterling-Duval' on it. He managed to stop himself bursting into tears, but only just. So many people wishing him well was slightly overwhelming, particularly when he hardly knew so many of them. He was grateful when Wes appeared to walk him to the subway at the end of his shift. He told Nick that he had been in the area anyway, but he didn't believe him for a second. As soon as they had walked a block from the library, Nick had to stop and cry, and Wes took him into a fraternal hug as he did.

They headed to the Spotlight Diner, where Jeff was working the evening shift. The moment that Nick walked through the door, there was a cheer. The diner was filled with balloons and streamers and amongst the usual customers Nick spotted all of their friends that were in town. Jeff was nowhere to be seen amongst the crowds, but before he could get a proper look, he was almost knocked off his feet as someone ran into him. "Hi Nick!" they said, in a voice filled with excitement.

Nick knew who it was instantly, but he hadn't expected him to arrive until the following day. "Hey Luke, what are you doing here? You aren't supposed to arrive until tomorrow…" He got no answer as his hand was grabbed and he was dragged across the room, Wes following with a look of amusement on his face in their wake. He found Jeff seated at a table with Elspeth, Dylan, Flora and Duncan. Elspeth got up straight away to give Nick a hug, and was then replaced in turn by both Dylan and Flora. Wes was then formally introduced to Jeff's cousins and Luke's boyfriend Duncan - he had met Elspeth at the hospital in the aftermath of the trial.

"Moira got fed up with Luke running around in a state of hysteria about coming to the wedding and to New York, so I volunteered to bring him down a day early; that meant bringing Duncan, and it made sense for these two to tag along too. Cooper was a bit surprised when we turned up on his doorstep, but between me and your sister, we managed to get everything sorted out. Thankfully your friend Sebastian was ready for his temporary guest."

There were several other introductions to make that night - everyone wanted to meet Jeff's cousins, in particular 'mini Jeff' as Luke had been christened by Santana. She had more or less written Jeff off for the rest of his shift, so Wes and Thad stepped up and volunteered to help wait on tables. Inevitably, Jeff eventually ended up on stage with Nick at his side, singing their hearts out, all the songs with one theme - love and marriage. By the end of the night all of the Warblers and most of the New Directions had sung something. The decision to head home was taken when Luke announced that he was exhausted, and promptly laid his head on Duncan's shoulder and started to doze off. Everyone thought that it was the sweetest thing they had ever seen. Once they had gone, a tired Nick and Jeff helped to clean up as the party died down and the diner reverted to its normal state. It was past Jeff's clocking off time when they finally made to head home, but he didn't mind. As they were about to head out the door, Santana called him back and asked him to wait one second. She popped into the office and came out with two new uniform shirts, with the name 'Jeff Sterling-Duval' embroidered on them. "You'll need these on Monday," she said, before she pulled them both into a hug. This set them all off into tears, which lasted for Nick and Jeff as they rode home on the subway.

On Friday morning, Jeff woke up early. It was barely 5am and it had been after one by the time that he and Nick had got to bed. Not that he had really slept; he had been having the same dream - nightmare would have been a more apt word - for most of the night, constantly waking up and desperately checking to see if Nick was still there. In his dream, Nick never arrived at the New Yorker for the wedding ceremony. He was left standing there alone with Trent whilst everyone stared; then eventually Sebastian arrived and with his trademark smirk on his face, announced that Nick was not coming as he had changed his mind, and that if he was honest, he had never really been in love with Jeff anyway. Then the laughter began as everyone pointed at him. All of them, even Trent and Wes, laughing at him. And then he would wake up with a start and the whole cycle would begin again. This time, he had had enough and he extricated himself from Nick's arms, crept as quietly as he could out of the bedroom and padded through to the kitchen, to pour himself a large glass of apple juice. He then headed through to the lounge, to perch there on his drawing stool, in front of the window. He sat quietly and watched as the sky grew lighter. He felt tears fall for no reason as his mind dwelt on the nightmare. The fact was that those thoughts had always been there in the darkest recesses of his mind. That Nick didn't really love him and was only with him because of everything that had happened with Hunter. That he wasn't really gay either, but still straight; and when the right girl caught his eye, he would up and leave. Because after all, he, Jeff Sterling, wasn't good enough for someone like Nick Duval. He didn't deserve him, and he would be happier with somebody else. Deep down he knew it, and so did everyone else.

"Utter rubbish, Jeff Sterling. I have known you for nearly four years now, and everything that you are thinking right now is total garbage!" Jeff looked up to see Kurt standing there, his arms folded across his chest, a frown on his face, and barely concealed rage in his tone. "I get it, I really do; Lord knows that I had moments like this during my relationship with Blaine. I had them before my first attempt at a wedding. And that's what this is. Wedding jitters. You are soulmates. You love each other, and nothing else matters."

"I'm not good enough for him Kurt," Jeff replied, his voice sounding tired and done in. "He could do so much better and you all know it. I'm a hyperactive blond screwup with issues. My gene pool is tainted by my father, so what happens if he can't have kids? He wants them so much, but I daren't have kids of my own, and you know why. He should be with someone that can give him options. He is so smart, so funny, so handsome. He is going to be a great lawyer and me - I'm going to be a scribbler. 'This is my husband - he draws.' He might be my soulmate, but what if that isn't enough Kurt? What if in a year's time he realises that all the things he likes about me aren't quite enough to balance out all the negatives? I love him Kurt, so much, but don't they say that if you love someone, you should set them free? The dreams are a sign Kurt. I should walk away now before he does - go back and stay with my folks in Ohio or my uncle in Chicago. He doesn't need me…. He'd be better off without me…"

Jeff burst into tears at that point. Kurt longed to be able to dash over and take his friend into his arms and comfort him. He thought back to his days at Dalton, where comforting Jeff had almost become part of the curriculum for him. He had lost count of the number of times he had ended up in a classroom, devoid of other students or staff, as Jeff bemoaned the fact that he was in love with Nick, and for some reason, he could not see it. Kurt realised now that a lot of his fear of rejection, his misery at not being noticed could be tied back to his unhappy early childhood. 'Gordon Clarington had a lot to answer for,' he thought, as Jeff continued to sob. Kurt was sure that Nick and Jeff belonged together. Jeff's problem was that he needed constant confirmation of the fact that he was loved. Nick told him all the time that he loved him, that was sure, but maybe he needed more. Problem was, what else could Nick possibly do?

"Do you know something, Jeff Sterling," said Kurt, in a tone laced with anger, "there are times when being an angel really sucks, and this is one of them. Because right now, I want to be able to slap you, hard!" Jeff's sobs stopped abruptly at that, and he stared up at Kurt, eyes red, an expression of shock on his face. "From the first weeks that I was at Dalton until the moment he kissed you - and there by the way is one proof of how much he loves you; he kissed you in front of the whole of Dalton your first time - my first kiss from Blaine came in an otherwise empty room. I digress. Basically for almost three years I listened to you as you complained about how oblivious Nick was. I never turned you away when you needed to talk, not even when you called me two days after I broke up with Blaine and I felt so distressed and broken. When he thought that he was going to lose you, he realised that he wanted to be more than just your best friend. I think that he had known that for a while, he was just scared of his father's reaction. I think that the day that Hunter blackmailed you into taking those steroids, he knew - if he didn't love you, would he have wanted to protect you so much that he took drugs to be with you? Proof two! Proof three - if he didn't love you, then he could have screamed as that poker touched him, and let you take the rest for him. Instead, he took it in silence to save you. Then you had a total breakdown - he cried in the corridor outside your hospital room, then once you were discharged and sent home, he spent every minute that he could trying to get you better. Proof four! Proof five - he proposed to you. If he didn't truly love you, then he would never have done that. Now would he? And as for the future, if he discovers that he can't have kids of his own, then he will probably say, let's adopt. Give a child the start it needs, just as the Sterlings gave you the break you needed. The thing is Jeff, you know all of this - in you heart, and in your head, you do know all of this…"

"I do, Kurt, I do. But…is it enough? He loves and cares for me, but what do I do for him? We went thousands of miles to Europe, and every day he would sit by my side as I drew. There was only one day in the whole four weeks when I did something for him. One day! He loves me enough just now to give me all of the choices, but what happens when the day comes that he is fed up of doing that? Because he should be fed up sometimes. I am so demanding on his time and his happiness. Everything in this relationship revolves around me, and what I want and need, and that's not fair on him Kurt. He needs someone that is less demanding. He is my soulmate, and letting him go will break me, but I have to let him fly. I have to give him the chance to be cared for and loved in a relationship that is equal on both sides, not skewed in one person's favour. He could do so much better…."

"But I don't want that," said a voice - and both Kurt and Jeff spun round to see Nick standing in the doorway.


	15. Jitters Part Two

**Jitters Part Two**

Nick had woken up to find the other side of the bed empty and cool. One glance at the clock had told him that it really was too early to be up and about. Today was going to be hectic enough without getting up at such an early hour. He lay there, on the verge of sleep and wakefulness, wondering where Jeff was. The fact that the bed was cool indicated to him that he had been gone for some time - too long to have gone to the bathroom, or even to have gone to get a drink. And although he had been fussing over his drawings for his big picture all week, having completed the final individual drawings with those of a sheepish Jasper and Brad on Wednesday, he had never got up this early to draw. No, this wasn't right, and Nick started to worry. Last night, in the midst of the crowd at the diner, he had seen hints of things in Jeff that he had seen in him just before his breakdown at Dalton. Just little tiny signs that something was not quite right. He had felt him tossing and turning in the night… So where had he gone? Then he realised that Jeff was talking - he could hear his voice, quiet but unmistakeable. Then he heard sobs…

Nick was out of his bed in seconds to go to him. Who was he talking to, and what had they said that had made his fiancé cry?

"Nick," said a voice that he recognised at once. He turned to face Blaine who seemed to be half asleep. "He's with Kurt. He is suffering from the old pre-wedding jitters. Ask Sam about mine in September…" He paused as he recalled what had happened next, and shuddered. "Anyway, Kurt is trying to talk some sense into him. Ok, he just said that he wished he could slap Jeff. Look, maybe it would be best if you and I just left them to it…" He realised that Nick had gone, probably right after he had said that Kurt had wanted to slap Jeff (Good one Blaine!) and so he quickly followed. He found his friend stopped just out of sight, but within earshot, as Kurt began to recite a list of proofs. He was confused at first, and then Nick realised what was going on. Jeff had to be doubting how much he loved him. He could feel his own tears starting to fall, but he tried and succeeded in staying silent. He made no noise as he observed Blaine come and stand at his side, although he wished that Blaine was still able to put a hand on his arm and give him some comfort. He let Kurt finish, and was about to step into the room, when Jeff spoke again, in a voice that sounded so broken, so full of heartache and tears. He started to shake his head as he listened to Jeff list the faults that he perceived with their relationship, but kept quiet, until he heard those four little words - he could do better…

All his life, Nick had heard and come to dread those words. He was good at math, but he could do better. He could sing, but he could do better, especially if he wanted that solo. He had friends, but he could do better there if he only chose more wisely. Nearly every time that he had heard those words, they had been uttered by his father, a man that was never satisfied with anything that Nick did, no matter how hard he tried to please him. Nothing he ever did was right or perfect. He felt sometimes that even if he achieved a score of 100% in an exam, he would still be told - you could do better. But to him, Jeff was perfect. He was an obsessive artist, but he loved that, and he was never happier than when he was sitting at his side, watching his sheer talent flowing from his hands, through the pencil, onto the blank paper. He was so loving towards him and he loved him every bit as much. He was happy to follow wherever he lead; he was just so happy to be with him. That was all he wanted in life - his slightly hyperactive, mad, beautiful best friend; the kind hearted, loving boy; the man that had shown him more love and affection than anyone, through emotion and physicality. He didn't want better; he didn't need that - and that is what he suddenly blurted out…

He heard the gasp from Jeff as he realised that Nick had heard. Kurt looked in horror at Blaine, who just mouthed the words 'long enough' in reply. Then Nick rushed to the spot where Jeff sat, frozen in horror, and knelt before him. "I'm not angry with you, Jeffie. I could never be angry with you. I just need you to know and believe this. I love you. I love you with every fibre of my being, with every bit of my soul. You are mine Jeff. You were made for me, and just me. Do you know what my favourite thing in the world is? Watching you draw. Sitting there in absolute silence as your pencil brings life to a blank piece of paper. I am so proud of you; jealous that I don't have the talent that you do. I don't want any better, because I have the best already. I have an undying love from a young, gorgeous man that makes my heart light, my soul sing and sets off fireworks in my brain when we touch. Tomorrow, I am going to be the happiest man alive, because everyone will know that I am yours, and you are mine. For ever. And whether we live ten more years, or a hundred, I want to spend every moment with you. Because I adore you. I have loved you since the day we met in some form or another. I couldn't live without you Jeff, and I don't want to. So, no more nonsense - unless you don't love me anymore…"

"Of course I still love you, Nicky! I have never loved anyone more. But I am flawed - my past will always come back to haunt us. If you and I had never met, then you wouldn't have suffered at Hunter's hands. You wouldn't have had to chose between me and your family. You wouldn't have ended up taking drugs - twice…"

"But I would be so miserable without you in my life Jeff. I left Woodstock to come to Ohio, and I didn't like it one bit. I thought that I was losing all my friends; all the people that mattered to me. Looking back now, they weren't real friends. We hung out with each other purely because we lived close to each other. How many of them responded to my texts, my posts on Facebook, my E-Mails after I left? None of them. Here I have good friends, and you. I would go back tomorrow to that day at Dalton and I would always choose to take the steroids. Not just for you, but for all the Warblers. I would always have ended up with the choice of being true to myself, or pleasing my dad. Thanks to you, I had somewhere to go when it all blew up. Without you, I would have had nothing. And where do you think I would have ended up. You read the stories about the young guys that come out and then end up… Because I am gay, Jeff. It was something that I admit I wasn't 100% sure about until Paris - I used to think I might be Jeffsexual. Then that morning in the kitchen…" Nick looked into Jeff's eyes, and he smiled back at him, remembering what he meant. "The only man I want though, Jeff, is you. If you will still have me, because I am not perfect. My dad is an idiot, but it still hurts that he rejected me. I feel guilty that I have essentially destroyed my family - if I had said and done nothing… Truth is, you are my family Jeff. The love of my life. And we still have Grace, my mom, and my grandparents. By extension, we also get Cooper. I get your aunts and cousins, your dad, and my two mothers-in-law. Then there are the Warblers and New Directions, Burt and Carole - they are our family Jeff. We both have them all. But the best thing for me, the most important thing of all, is that we have each other…"

Jeff looked close to tears, but he spoke. "Oh Nicky, I love you so much. So I am going to tell you the truth, no ifs, no buts. I had a dream in which you left me standing at the ceremony tomorrow. I was tired, and I got to thinking, and didn't do it straight. Can you ever forgive me for having doubts…?"

"Of course I can. I have had moments when I have thought - how can he not want someone else? Are we too young? Has it all been too fast? But I know that what we are doing tomorrow is so right. And so do you, Mr Sterling-Duval. We have a connection, a love, that runs so deep and so strong. That will never, ever change. So nothing to be forgiven, everything forgotten. I am going to go and make us some tea and some toast. After that, I will run us a nice, deep, hot bath, and then you and I will go and soak all of our cares away, just like we always do. Then, we face the day. We have a veritable army of Warblers turning up, at your invitation. I need to entertain them so that you can carry on working on your picture. And then tonight, we have the wedding breakfast…"

"At which Kurt and I have to perform a miracle," said Blaine. "It isn't going to be quite so easy to convince them all this time. Last time the room was filled with our closest friends, all of them desperate to see us, and it was still hard work. This time, it is relatives of the grooms, plus 14 assorted Warblers; Beats should be easy enough, and probably Grace and Flint, but as for the rest - just be prepared for shock, outrage and screaming. Then it will be an early bed for the pair of you - and what a good idea to dispense with tradition and stay together - after all, you both know what you are getting…"

"The most beautiful guy in the world - the one and only Jeff Sterling."

"The sweetest guy, the one person that gets me, my best friend; my Nicky."

"Exactly guys. You get each other, the person that completes the puzzle that is your life," said Kurt. "So, we are all good? Crisis averted, and no more jitters as we travel down the final yards of the road to matrimony. Good. Coffee, Blaine. I need coffee."

"Love you guys," said Blaine shaking his head. "See the two of you later." With that, he and Kurt vanished. They returned to their loft, where the coffee machine was already switched on - Elizabeth was there waiting for them.

"A non-fat Grande Mocha and a Medium Drip with a touch of cinnamon," she said, and a moment later two perfectly made coffees were sitting in front of them. "So, pre marital Niff crisis averted? Good, they have to get married, it is all part of the plan. I know that all of this is so hard for the two of you, but you are doing really well. I am so proud of both of you. I take it that you are all prepared for Sunday?"

"As ready as I can be," Blaine said, his eyes downcast at the top of the table. "It is still breaking my heart; I have it in the back of my mind, all the time. I just need to rest for a while I think. So can I take a break from now until the wedding from other collections? I know that I can't get out of that, or the whole thing tonight, but truth be told I don't want to miss them anyway. I want to see Nick and Jeff married. I want to see them happy, even if it is only for a day, until…."

"No problem Blaine. I had intended that you and Kurt should just relax today. The thing with Jeff is that he is a lot like you in many respects Blaine. He needs to know that he is loved, and he needs to be told that every day. Nick needs to know that this is the case - I am sure that he is becoming all too aware of that, but maybe it wouldn't hurt if someone just dropped him a little hint about that. But all that can wait until tomorrow. You are officially off duty until the party tonight; and from the end of that until you have to report to Wes for your wedding duties tomorrow."

With that she left, leaving Blaine to curl up next to Kurt on the couch. "Tomorrow is going to be great, Kurt. But then…"

"I know Blaine. I know. But they will all get through it. They will. They just have to.."

Down below, in the loft that Kurt and Blaine had once occupied, Nick was holding Jeff tightly in his arms, whispering words of love in his ears. He had seen a long time ago that Jeff needed to be reassured that he was loved on a regular basis, but with all the events that had been taking place in the run up to their big day, and with the pressure of work and school looming up on them, he had neglected to do it quite as much as he should have. He had to do something tomorrow to make Jeff realise just how much he loved him. There was still a little elasticity in the schedule to fit in an extra song; one from him that he could dedicate to Jeff. It had to be a song about unending love, that expressed the lengths that he would go to to take care of Jeff and his every need. He just needed to find one that fitted, and fortunately, he knew the perfect person to ask for advice. All he needed to do was get Wes alone for a moment, and if he asked Mike to give Jeff a final rehearsal for their first dance, another thing his fiancé was paranoid about... He just had to do everything he could to ensure that Jeff didn't have another last minute fit of nerves.

In the end, he managed to get Wes alone when Jeff went to the bathroom. He explained things as quickly as possible, leaving out the worst details of Jeff's minor collapse. Wes didn't need to think for long as it happened, not after Nick mentioned the miles he would go for Jeff. He recalled a poem that he had read in Dalton in his freshman year - a poem by Robert Burns. He had over the years listened to as much A cappella music as he could in research for the Warblers, and then for the Harvard Glee Club. He had come across the Kings Singers in the process, and their rendition of _My love is like a Red, Red Rose_. He asked Nick to come with him to the landing, and brought the poem up on his tablet. He allowed Nick to read it, and watched as his face lit up as he read the words. "I will love thee still my dear, 'til all the seas gang dry," he whispered. "It's perfect Wes, but I don't know if I want to recite a poem."

Wes grinned, pulled out a set of earphones, plugged them in and pulled up an audio track. He offered Nick the earphones, and once he had them in, pressed play. He watched as Nick's face once again lit up, and he began to nod and smile. "So, Nick, I think we need to organise an emergency Warblers rehearsal, without Jeff and Trent, of course. We can't expect Jeff's best man to conspire with us this time. I will have a quick word with Sam and Mike and ask them to keep the two of them busy." Nick smiled, and gave Wes a hug. As usual, the Head Warbler had made a perfect choice.

So it was that Jeff was left alone with Mike by Nick that afternoon, but only for a few minutes, before Sam, Brittany and Trent arrived, to start the set up for the big event that night. A lot was riding on the success of this evening. If they failed, then things would be very awkward, given that it would mean that half the wedding guests would not be able to see the three angels present. There was quite a houseful to prepare for; they were all coming for a pre-wedding buffet, and so across the landing Carole, with help from Santana, Tina and Rory, was cooking up a storm. Trent had been helping, but had been dragged across the landing by Sam - he had been partly replaced by the arrival of Artie. Carole had to admit she was curious as to what was going on. She wondered exactly where Wes and Nick had been disappearing to when she had seen them virtually run down the stairs earlier. Then again, they had been acting oddly all day, firstly when she had caught them hugging on the landing, and then not an hour later, she had been returning from the store and had overheard Wes on his phone talking about a Warbler emergency. If there was a Warbler emergency, why were Jeff and Trent still here? She said nothing - there was still a lot of cooking to be done, and she was sure that in the long run, everything would become clear.

Nick and Wes had headed into Manhattan, and into the hallowed halls of NYADA. It had quickly become apparent that they would struggle to find a venue to rehearse in. There was no way they could stay in Bushwick; Sebastian's apartment was no use given that Jeff's mother, aunts and cousins were all upstairs at Cooper's, and might just overhear. The Spotlight Diner would be full of customers, and word would get back to Santana. In the end, it was Sebastian that had the brainwave. He knew where there were at this time of year unused rehearsal rooms - all they need was permission to use them. Wes had made a tentative call to Carmen Tibideaux, and when he had told her the reason why, she had agreed. None of them had expected to find her there, waiting for them and ready to assist. She was fond of both Nick and Jeff, despite the fact that she had only met them a few times; like a lot of people, she found that they reminded her of Kurt and Blaine. She had grieved for the loss of those two boys; if she could now help two of their friends to get married, then she would take it. So it was that the group split up - Wes took everyone except Nick into one room; Nick went with her. She had managed to find the music score for the piece, and so she played Nick's part for him on the piano as he sang along. The tune was not that complex and he picked it up quickly. In the other room, Wes had assigned the backing vocals out amongst his flock. He could only smile as with time, the voices that were so familiar to him melded together once more. It was the first time he had heard them like this for three years, and the result was almost perfect. To his ear, they were missing the sound of not just Jeff and Trent, but also of Kurt and Blaine. In the circumstances, he just had to accept what he had.

When the two groups were united again, it all worked. Nick had the tune perfectly, and the others adjusted to harmonise with him. Wes had left a part for himself, and he joined in too, filling the room with a sound that was darn near perfection. Carmen certainly seemed to think so, and when the last note died away, she applauded warmly. There were back slaps and high fives all round.

"Well done, Mr Montgomery. You have achieved in just under three hours something that most other people would need several weeks to do. You have a very talented group of young men here. I believe that had it not been for a degree of homophobia amongst the judging panel at Regionals in Ohio in 2011, then the Warblers would have come to New York that year for Nationals, not the New Directions…" The whole group looked at her in shock - they had never even considered that their loss that year could have been down to something like that. "But," Carmen continued, "if that had been the case then all history would have been altered, and there is no guarantee that it would have been for the better. In my opinion, you deserved to be there, and had any of you ever applied to NYADA, based on that, you would all have been accepted, not just Mr Smythe. Anyway, I have said what I needed to, but I warn you now that if Rachel Berry ever finds out what I just said, I will deny it categorically. Now, Wes, one more time I think, just to be sure?" Wes nodded in agreement, and they all sang again.


	16. Revelations

**Revelations**

The Warblers arrived back at the loft in plenty of time for the big event. Nick barely recognised the living area, so much had it been altered. He knew that Brittany had been responsible in large part for it - she was the key to the whole thing after all. In the kitchen, food was piled high on plate after plate, and by the time they all arrived, it was already being attacked by a few early guests. When the time came, they all appeared en masse, with the exception of Rachel, who was on stage at that moment. It all appeared normal to begin with, then gradually, so as to be less noticeable to the others, those that had already been given the ability to see angels began to slowly slip out to the neighbouring loft. Brittany, Sam, Nick, Jeff and Wes were to be the only people to remain that had already been given the ability to see the three boys. They stood there with Beats, Flint, Ethan, Drew, Jasper and Brad, plus the other eight Warblers, amongst them Colin, Edward and Seth, that had come to sing at the wedding the following day; the newest of the New Directions, who had also come to sing; Jeff's mother, aunts and cousins, plus Duncan also remained, alongside Principal and Mrs Carmichael, Mr and Mrs Sterling, Mrs Duval, her parents and Grace, not to mention their other Chicago based relatives. Grace was the most confused of all of them, because she was wondering exactly where Cooper had suddenly got to - he had vanished without a trace. And now, her brother was attempting to bring a room full of people to silence. She helped him as much as she could - for some reason, she felt that what was about to happen here tonight would change her life for the better. After all, Cooper's final words to her before he left seemed to confirm this - he had said "You will understand me all the more by the end of this party…"

Once the room finally fell silent, Nick spoke. "Ladies and Gentlemen, Family and Friends. We have got you all here tonight under false pretences I'm afraid. This was not just about a meal with friends, a chance to mingle with each other before the big day. It was all about letting you in on a little secret. But it is not my place to tell you what that secret is, just as it wasn't mine and Jeff's place on the night that we were made privy to it. All I will say to you is that it is the most wonderful thing in the world, and finding it out has changed my life for the better. It changes everything, which is why we are going to share it with you. Finally, Beats - you aren't mad at all." There was confusion around the room as he finished. Beats found every one of the Warblers staring at him. He knew that the secret had to have something to do with the voices now. If it made sense of them, then so much the better for him, and everyone else.

Brittany had now taken centre stage, flanked by Sam and Jeff; Nick next to Jeff; Wes next to Sam. "Ok, so this is supposed to work; all I am waiting on now is three things…"

As she said that, Flint and Beats felt the all too familiar draught in the room. Flint looked confused, particularly as Beats' face lit up as he recognised exactly what was potentially going to happen. "Oh, my God, please let this be true…" he whispered, barely audible even to Flint as he stood right next to him. He looked up at the five on the stage and at how their faces had lit up. "I believe," he said, earning himself a look from Flint. Then he turned his attention back to the stage, where Brittany was about to speak again.

"Everything is now in place, so I will start the process to reveal to you all, hopefully, a secret that we have all known since the Saturday after Thanksgiving last year; the night that Nick proposed to Jeff. That decision was inspired by Kurt and Blaine. You all believe that it was due to the realisation that life was too short. It wasn't. It was because they had just witnessed something that was unbelievable to everyone. They had just seen two angels getting married - Kurt and Blaine…."

The room was silent for a moment, and then a growing hubbub began, as everyone stared at Brittany in disbelief. "Oh my God," said Grace suddenly. "Hummel-Warbler! Blaine hated being an Anderson, just as Cooper did, so he changed his surname to Warbler to marry Kurt." She stopped abruptly as she realised that she had just said it out loud, and that Beats in particular was now staring at her, and nodding. It was all starting to make sense, at least to two of the people in the room. And as Flint stared at his best friend, he began to think. Beats had never been wrong before, so maybe, just maybe, all of it was true…

Flint Wilson had always been a rational person; he didn't believe in superstitions of any kind, and like Kurt, he had never had much faith in the notion of a supreme being. Yet the whole concept that Kurt, Finn and Blaine could still be around as angels, which was against everything logical, everything that he trusted in… Beats he knew was like him, and not given to whimsy or flights of fancy. If he was convinced… "The draughts we felt during the trial, just now - it's from their wings, isn't it?" he found himself saying out loud. When Nick and Jeff both nodded, he was almost convinced. Wes smiling at him and nodding too, that made it a dead cert as far as he was concerned. He turned back to Beats, who now had Grace standing at his other side, and said "I think that I believe it too - and it won't take much to convince me… if you can hear me Blainers, give your wings a flap." He was rewarded with another draught, felt across the room, and greeted with a gasp by many. Flint looked at Beats, his face full of hope; at Grace, her eyes beginning to tear up; and at the other Warblers in the room, all of whom looked startled and yet expectant. "I believe. They're here - and I think that they are a lot of the time." When Beats put an arm around him, he did not flinch. He just couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

For Elspeth, the draught after Flint's request was also all the proof that she required. That, and the look of pure happiness on her son's face. He had always had a slightly ethereal air about him since he had been a tiny boy, and she could well believe that he could see his departed friends. After all, he had dreamed about the young man that he was about to marry tomorrow when he was six years old. The draughts were all the proof that she needed that there were angels in the room; she had felt them in the court during her other son's trial. She realised that it was a great honour and privilege that she was about to be granted - they were all in the state that they were in because of the actions of Hunter, after all, and it would have been so easy for them to deny her the right to see. Obviously, they would all be present at the wedding, and it would make life a lot easier if they all could see them. She turned now to her sister and her wife, her niece and nephews. They were all, along with Duncan, staring at the five on the stage.

"If cousin Jeff says that it is true, then it will be," said Luke. "He wouldn't lie to us about something like this."

"I think you are right, little bro," said Dylan. "If he says there are angels, then I guess there are. I believe it." He turned to his mothers and sister - they said nothing, but he was pretty sure that they believed it too.

They all turned back to the stage again, where Brittany stood patiently. "Now at that ceremony, I had to work really hard to convince some people. I don't think that it will be as much of an issue this time. The fact is that last time, I had help from three people, one of them Sam, who had only just begun to see angels a few weeks before. This time I have four people to help me, all of whom have been able to see them for nine months. The power in the room this time is far stronger as a result, helped by the fact that you are all here because you love two of them, Nick and Jeff. Ok, guys, you know the drill, and can probably remember the words. So, here goes. It will work, as long as you truly believe that there are three angels in this room, and have belief in the three boys in question. I need you all to close your eyes…"

This time, there was no need to threaten anyone. Every set of eyes in the room was closed almost at once. She smiled as she noticed that both Beats and Flint had their fingers crossed as they stood arm in arm. "Ok, repeat after me. I believe in angels." Every voice in the room intoned the phrase. And so it carried on, as it had on that night after Thanksgiving, when Brittany had, with Sam's help, given the three Warblers now flanking them the ability to see. As the last "I believe in Kurt and Blaine" echoed out, they waited for a bright flash of light to fill the room - but this time, it did not come. There was no indication of success or failure to any of them.

"Hey Beats, I seem to recall saying this to someone before - is this better?"

Beats froze for a moment as he heard Blaine's voice. He turned towards Flint and saw that his friend had gone pale, and his eyes were wide. "You heard him too, didn't you?" he whispered, and Flint nodded. Beats swallowed, and then turned right round. His face lit up - his smile grew wide and his eyes bright - and then he laughed.

Flint turned in the same direction, and stared. "Blaine? You really are here. It's true!"

"Yeah, I'm here. Beats isn't going mad as he, and yes, you feared. He was just more open to the idea in the first place. It's good to have both of you in the club now."

Blaine turned his attention next to Grace, who blinked away tears and said, "I never thought I would see the young man who one day might be my brother-in-law again. Never thought that I would see an angel. You are an angel, I take it?"

Blaine smiled, and unfurled his wings. Grace immediately burst into tears; Beats held on to Flint, wide eyed in wonder. It was the latter that spoke in the end. "That is one of the most beautiful things that I have ever seen. They suit you - they are curled because of your hair, I take it?" Blaine nodded. "So, where is that husband of yours?" Flint continued. He scanned the room, and saw Kurt standing beside Jeff and Nick, as he talked to their assembled families, even the boisterous Luke stood in awed silence. "Ivory coloured wings - so they come in all shades?"

"Yeah, Finn has light brown wings," Blaine said, pointing over to where the man in question was being introduced by Wes and Sam to the current Warblers and New Directions, all of whom stood in silence. "I guess that the colour you get depends on factors over which you have no control. When you all come and join us, in time, your wings will be reflective of you."

"When we join? You mean that when we die…" said Beats, keeping an eye on Grace who was now chatting quietly to Brittany.

"Yes, you will join us as angels when it is your time, unless you decide to take up axe murder or something as a hobby. You will revert to the age you were when Finn died, and you will get no older. As for what heaven is like, well it looks like Dalton, or at least our bit of it does. There is a Senior Commons, the staircase, the tiled corridor with the murals - and yes, Kurt and I do run down it hand in hand occasionally. The dorm corridor is also where it was upstairs. Only thing is, when I open the door that should lead to the little dorm room I shared with Kurt, I walk into a loft in Greenwich Village. Oh, and the cupboard in the Senior Commons is now a passageway to McKinley High in Lima. You'll see when you get there, in time…"

Kurt was making explanations of his own to Jeff's family. His cousins did not seem that put out by the fact that they had friendly angels watching over them. His aunts were more shocked, but it finally made sense of a moment back in Vermont in April, when Moira had found Nick and Jeff conversing with someone in what appeared to be an otherwise empty room. For Mrs Duval and the Sterlings, the fact that Kurt was back, albeit with wings, was shocking and wonderful at the same time. The other relatives could only concur with that opinion.

Elspeth alone sat in silence, feeling that she did not deserve to be there. Kurt could immediately sense this, and he indicated to Nick and Jeff that they needed to distract the others whilst he talked with her, one to one. "You do know that none of the three of us bear any sort of grudge towards you? You are in no way responsible for what Hunter did to us. It was our time; it is set, like a stopwatch, the moment that you are born. Our time was due to run out, and if it hadn't been him, then it would have been something else. You tried your best to keep him on the straight and narrow, but there was little that you could do against your husband. I think you know exactly where Hunter went after he fell. He will be allowed to return to the good side if he shows any kind of contrition and remorse. I hope that he takes his chance, but I can't be sure that he will. In the meantime, you are more than welcome here - you gave us all that is good in Jeff after all. He loves you, and that makes you a perfectly acceptable human being in our book."

Elspeth sat silently for a moment when he had finished, observing the young man sat before her with the beautiful glasz eyes, pale complexion and ivory wings. Her son had taken him from his family and friends on the eve of his wedding; from what she had heard, he had a great future ahead of him - a star on Broadway or a fashion designer in the professional sphere; in his personal life, he would have been a perfect and loving husband to Blaine. She had seen pictures of him, but now for the first time she had him in her sight - the young man with the honey hazel eyes, the tan skin, the curly hair - and wings. She could imagine that had they lived, they would have been on the cover of magazines; their names on billboards and up in lights on the marquee of some Broadway theatre. They had wanted children, from what Jeff had told her. All that gone, because of Hunter. They should have been so angry with her, and yet, she was forgiven. These young men truly deserved their place as angels. Kurt obviously took after his father, and in her opinion, Burt Hummel was the kind of father that the world needed more of. He had filled that role not just for his own son and stepson, but also for Blaine; for Sam Evans; and now for Rory Flanagan and Cooper Anderson - she stopped to correct herself - Cooper Hummel-Warbler too. He had been the person that four frightened young men had run to, amongst them her son and his fiancé. He had done a good job with Kurt, Finn and Blaine. She was privileged to know them now, to be given a chance to meet them. She looked at Kurt, and said "Thank you. I will do everything in my power from now on to ensure that your legacy lives on. And thanks also for being there for my son when he needed someone. I can never repay you for that."

Once the initial shock in the room was over, they answered the questions on the how and the why. Finn explained how they would all now be protected by them - they had gained guardian angels that night. That lead to yet another shock, when Brittany produced a tray filled with tiny ring boxes - inside were rings similar to those that the others had got on the night of the wedding, one for each and every one of them. She handed them out with care, explaining that it would mark them out as being under angelic protection. Beats burst into floods of tears when he saw the small curled black feather in his, knowing under whose protection he would now fall - Flint just mouthed the words 'Thank you' to him when he got his, before he wrapped his arms around his sobbing friend. All of Jeff's family found themselves under the protection of Kurt, as did Duncan. Blaine had also been given Ethan and Drew, Jasper and Brad, Seth, Colin and Edward - alongside the remaining Warblers. Finn had become the guardian of a new generation of New Directions, along with Mrs Duval, her parents and the boys relatives from Chicago. As for Grace, it was no surprise when she had received a curled black feather in her ring - a ring which she quickly realised was identical to the one that Cooper wore. She smiled broadly across at her new guardian angel - she would definitely have to become a Hummel-Warbler now she was under his protection.

The rings distributed, the all clear was given and the others made their way back in. Grace took Cooper into her arms and kissed him. He had been right - she did understand him a whole lot better now. The Sterlings, Mrs Duval and Elspeth went over to talk to Burt and Carole, and discussed how the whole thing had come about. Carole went into great discussion of Kurt and Blaine's wedding, about meeting Elizabeth, about the fact that she still had her son in her life, despite his death. Warblers old and new came together to talk about the two members that had just come back to them all, and the possibility that their voices could join with the rest of theirs for a song again one day was mooted.

The biggest question at the moment, however, was why those two members were keeping their distance from them - Blaine in particular seemed to vanish, only to reappear at the other end of the room every time that someone came to talk to him, apart from his brother and Grace. Even Nick and Jeff could not seem to tie him down. And then he was gone altogether, leaving a sheepish Kurt to apologise - his mother had called Blaine back, or so he said. For many in the room that seemed to be very strange indeed, and totally out of character for Blaine.

Eventually, the party ended. It was still reasonably early, but they all had a big day ahead of them. Blaine had not returned; Kurt had gone to seek him out, and came back to say he was still busy, and very sorry to be missing the party, but that he would see them all tomorrow. That explanation satisfied most people, but not all.

"I don't know why, but I think Kurt is lying to us. There is something up with Blaine…" was heard from someone in the room; several people agreed, including Santana and Sam.

"He's been a bit off for weeks now," the latter said. "Kurt thinks that it is because it is nearly the anniversary of their non-wedding, and all that means."

"I don't buy that," said Santana. "I know that he has had to start doing the 'collections' - both of them have to now. It could be that…"

"Finn did mention that Blaine was stressing about it," said Sam. "He didn't want to mess up, particularly as he has a big one coming up on Sunday. Once that is done, Finn thinks he will get back to normal…"

As Sam uttered those words, a moment of realisation came to the person that had made the first comment. They suddenly knew exactly what was wrong with Blaine….


	17. A bit of a hitch…

**A bit of a hitch…**

The morning of Saturday 23rd August dawned bright. The skies were an azure blue, not a cloud to be seen. It was the most perfect day for a wedding. In two lofts in Bushwick, there was still an air of calm. Nick and Jeff were still fast asleep at 6am, curled up together in the usual manner. Next door, everyone was in pretty much the same position - indeed, only three people were awake. Wes had been late in getting to his bed - he had some writing to do - and then he had slept only fitfully. He now stood at the door to Nick and Jeff's room, which was slightly open, and smiled at them, clutching a mug of coffee. In a little under nine hours, Niff would finally be official. It had been a long and often torturous journey for them, but he was glad that it had finally reached a happy conclusion. He could still remember vividly the day that an overexcited Jeff had brought his new friend Nick into the senior commons for an audition. He had glanced over at David, and realised that he had spotted it too. Jeff wanted this boy to be more than a friend. It had all seemed doomed at first, but now he was their head groomsman. It would be his proud duty to undertake that role today. He loved both of them to death - heck, he loved each and every one of his flock. But these two had always been amongst his favourites. He had enjoyed living with them, and he was really going to miss them. He felt a tear forming in his eye, and he tried in vain to blink it away. Today was not a day for regrets - it was a day for joy. He had to live in the moment…

Across the landing, Santana had been woken by a crying Brittany about ten minutes earlier. She hadn't been making a lot of noise, but something in Santana had told her she was upset, even in the depth of her sleep. She had carefully wrapped her arms around her and let her cry, gently stroking her hair and whispering that she loved her in her ear. It calmed Brittany down to a point where she could dry her tears, and ask her what was wrong. "I had a dream. There was a flock of birds and they were all singing so happily. Then suddenly, one of the birds died. It made all of the other birds stop singing. They all screeched in pain, and then they started to cry instead. Those poor birds looked so unhappy…." Santana held her tight, and lulled her back towards sleep. It was going to be such a happy day - she said as much to Brittany and she agreed with her. Her two dolphin Warblers were going to be married, and that was good. With those final words, she fell asleep again. Santana found that how, she was unable to get back to sleep. The last time that she had a dream in which she had seen death, it had been a premonition of dark days to come. She hoped that on this occasion, the dream was nothing more than a bizarre nightmare. After all, the 'birds' in her dream could only be one group of people.

Wes did not want to wake Nick and Jeff too early. He was glad for the peace and tranquillity of this time of the morning. He had an important errand that he had to run, but that could wait until the two best men arrived. Just after 7am, Mike emerged from the bedroom, and he and Wes sat down to chat over a light breakfast. The talk consisted mostly of Wes filling Mike in on the best and worst points of living with the madness that was Niff. He ended his short lesson with the following words :- "They try to pretend that they are strong and independent, but they aren't. Jeff still isn't over the whole Hunter debacle - he might never be - and Nick will always try to take it all on himself. They will never come out and ask for help - but you are like me. You will know instinctively when you need to go to them and offer them comfort and support. Do it as discretely as you can. Sam, Santana and the rest will back you up. And if you ever need more support, then you can always call for me. I'll always do what I can for my flock - always."

Mike nodded, and added "You're going to miss them, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I've got accustomed to them being around again. But I have to leave them. There is no alternative."

At that point there was a knock at the loft door, which then slowly slid open to reveal Trent and Sebastian. It was time for the two sleeping grooms to be woken up. "Carole has made breakfast for them next door, so we are going to take the pair of them over there first. Then we are going to split them up - Jeff will be staying over there with Trent, and I will bring Nick back over here - hopefully that way we can keep them calm," said Sebastian. "By the way, Cooper has called in a favour with his director and so has Rachel. We will have two luxury town cars coming, one for each groom, and there will be space for another six or so people after we join them - I was thinking Burt and Carole, Cooper and Grace, Elspeth and you, Wes." Sebastian stopped again, and took a deep breath. His face was glowing with happiness. "So, operation Get Niff Hitched is under way. Now, the mayhem starts. Time to go and wake them up."

"No need Seb," said Jeff, and the other turned round to see him and a yawning Nick standing at the door. "You lot were making far too much noise. Plus, I can smell bacon and french toast, so I woke Nicky up. So, best men, escort us to the food. We need to keep our strength up…"

They all ended up next door - Carole had cooked enough to feed an army. She watched as the two young grooms sat side by side - far from being stressed out as most had predicted, they were by far the calmest people in the room. They were effusive in their thanks when she produced for them something far better than the bacon and french toast that Jeff had smelt - at Rory's suggestion, she had prepared Croque Monsieur, as a reminder of those happy days in Paris; they ended up sharing it with half of the people in the loft, all of whom reacted with equal delight. Carole mentally worked out how much mozzarella cheese, bread and ham she would need the following morning when she would probably have to make several dozen slices. They were all still eating when their was a knock at the door, which marked the arrival of Cooper and Grace, Dave, Mrs Duval, the Sterlings and Elspeth. Carole made more coffee as the boys were hugged by their family - Cooper came over and hugged Carole with a "Hey, mom" which melted her heart, as it always did.

Food consumed, Nick was parted from Jeff, both knowing that the next time they saw each other it would be at the hotel, minutes before they were joined together as husbands. Once Nick had gone, escorted out by Sebastian, his mother, Grace and Cooper, Jeff was taken off to the room that Trent and Rory had slept in - Wes was charged with collecting all of his wedding clothes and bringing them over. In the end, he got Mike to bring them over, whilst he popped out on his errand. This done, he walked slowly back, having decided that he would not ride in the town car. He would take a cab, as had been planned originally; that way he could have one final rehearsal with the Warblers, and more importantly, distribute the bowties that had been brought from London for the event to all those allocated one, and then assist with the tying. Of course, it also meant that he could spend more time with Thad, but he wouldn't be saying that to anyone.

The wedding was due to start at 2pm; such was the level of organisation and preparation that by the time Wes decided to head over to Manhattan at midday, both Nick and Jeff were almost ready to leave themselves. Nick had been blessed with the full attention of Sebastian, his mother and Grace - Kurt had also popped in and had given his opinion on everything from his hair to the vintage suit that he was wearing. The light pomade that Kurt had suggested that he use was holding his hair perfectly in place in the style that he had worn it in since the first day that Kurt had met him, all those years ago. He looked almost unchanged physically since that day, but they all knew that mentally, he had been through so much, and the man in front of him was no longer the happy go lucky boy he had been.

Across the landing, Trent had been assisted by Jeff's mom, Elspeth and Santana in preparing his best friend for the day that he had been dreaming of for years. His blond hair had been styled to perfection - his suit fitted perfectly, and the wing collared shirt had been the only choice for both grooms - neither of them had wanted to go the whole hog and attempt to find collars and studs. The shirts they had chosen did require cufflinks - they had been given a pair each by Principal Carmichael the day before. He had always worn them on a daily basis during his tenure at the school - now that he had retired again, he had a surfeit of them. So they had found themselves with a pair of solid gold cufflinks, with the Dalton logo engraved on them. The boys had rewarded him with a hug each, and Jeff had whispered to Nick, who had nodded, before dashing off to their bedroom. He had returned with the only spare bowtie. Their former headmaster had taken it, and promised to wear it at the ceremony.

Wes ended up being joined in the taxi by Rory and Burt. The latter had given up a seat in the town car in favour of Mrs Sterling; Carole had in turn offered her seat to Mrs Duval, and she had accepted it with thanks - Carole herself had decided to travel with the bulk of the Bushwick crowd. The journey to the New Yorker was quick - traffic was light for some reason that day. As Rory paid the driver, Wes took in his surroundings and observed Puck and Quinn just walking towards the hotel. Burt had spotted them too, and was just about to call out a greeting when his phone rang. He frowned when he saw who was calling, but sighed and answered it anyway. Wes was greeting Puck and Quinn, the two of them hugging him like a long lost friend. Rory joined them, and as he was being greeted as warmly, Wes turned back towards Burt, and saw that his face had fallen, and was now pure white. Wes started to walk towards him, but Burt motioned him to stop and go back, as he hung up the phone, and started to walk over. He greeted the two arrivals as warmly, and then sent Rory into the hotel. Puck and Quinn made to follow, but a quick "Noah - quick word" from Burt saw Quinn walking in alone with Rory.

"Ok, Burt, what's up?" said Puck.

Burt motioned to him and Wes to follow him away from the door. Once out of earshot, Burt sighed and then spoke. "We have a problem. A big one. That was a friend of mine in D.C. that works in the Justice Department. It's Gordon Clarington. He's escaped from prison. They think that he is on his way here, to New York. He knows all about the wedding…"

"Ok, so what do we do? Do not even suggest cancelling, because hell will freeze over before I let that happen," said Wes. "If we let him stop this, then he has won. And I am darned if we are letting that lowlife scum win."

"I'm with Wes on this one Burt. We can all keep our eyes open; warn hotel security about him. We must be able to access a photo of him somewhere. There is one thing that we can't do, and that is give in."

"And more importantly, we keep this a secret from the boys. I say that we tell Trent and Sebastian, so that they can act as bodyguards, not just best men. We let everyone know, so that they can help us to stop him. But of one thing I am sure - there will be a wedding today. Even if we have to barricade the doors, those two do not leave here today without a piece of paper - and their surnames changed officially to Sterling-Duval," said Wes, his face seething with anger.

"That is exactly what I was hoping the two of you would say," said Burt. "My friend is on to hotel security already. The NYPD is on the look out. Clarington is not going to destroy this."

 _So, the plot thickens... Reviews are always good. Thanks for reading!_


	18. The Wedding Part One

**The Wedding Part One**

By the time that everyone bar those in the two town cars arrived at the hotel, the news of Gordon Clarington's escape was common knowledge. Burt and Wes had decided it was best to wait until the bulk of the guests had arrived and then inform them en masse. Wes had managed to assemble all the Warblers, plus Rory and had just come right out with it. There had been gasps of shock and looks of horror, but all of them were of the same mind. Nothing was going to prevent this wedding taking place. No man was going to stop the joining of their Niff as an official couple. Not just because they would not want to give Gordon the satisfaction of stopping it, but because they knew that Jeff would take the blame on himself. Thad had been the one to vocalise that point, and Wes had placed an arm around his shoulder, and nodded. Quietly afterwards, Wes had approached Seth and asked him to keep a close eye on Edward and Colin, just in case Gordon, in his anger, went for any gay couple that he could see. Seth had nodded, and had resisted the temptation to ask who was going to keep an eye on Wes and Thad - because it was glaringly obvious that there was something going on between them.

Puck had been the one to address the New Directions, both old and new. For once, Tina had not immediately burst into tears; Brittany had also stayed calm, apart from muttering about a dead bird to Santana. When he heard that, Puck had glanced at Santana, and the look on her face at that precise moment caused when to give an involuntary shudder. He had come to the same conclusion that she had earlier that morning, without even knowing the full details. As he looked around the assembled group, he spotted the easy targets for Clarington - Artie, who could not get away as quickly as the rest of them, even with Kitty at his side; Mercedes, whose well timed punch had felled him in the courthouse, and had landed him in jail; and Sam, the boy whose actions had triggered everything that had taken place. Mr Schue was pretty silent, as indeed was Emma - they were both probably very concerned about the newbies. They had been invited as the New Directions were all keen to sing a song or two at the wedding - and Niff had been more than happy to allow them. Mr Schue had wanted to get the numbers up, and had brought his newest six. Puck barely knew them, but Kitty had helped them out. Looking at them now, he felt that they would all benefit from this experience vocally, but as for being caught up in this situation… They could probably all handle themselves if necessary - Spencer looked ready to kill anyone that tried to hurt any of them, and particularly Alistair. From what Kitty had told him, Mason and Madison had been taught by one of the best - Sue Sylvester, so they could probably have handled half an army. He just hoped that none of them would have to.

The lady in question had been informed of the situation by Burt. She had been startled to even receive an invitation - she had at first thought that it was someone's idea of a joke. She had called them up, and had spoken to Nick, who had told her exactly why they had decided that they wanted her there. She had not blamed them, or any of the other Warblers, for anything that had happened. She had helped to divert the media pack away from them and Elspeth in the aftermath of the trial. She smiled when she looked at them being all lovey-dovey. In short, she was a secret Niff shipper, and they could not deny her a place at their wedding. She hadn't even tried to deny the latter - in the absence of Klaine, those two boys were the nearest she could see to true love and happiness - and she had accepted. Her plus one was Shannon Bieste - the former mortal enemies had become good friends. Plus, if she was going to have to attend a wedding in the cesspool that was New York, then she needed someone that she could trust to stand with her. Now the two of them listened in shock as Burt told them the news. It was at times like this that Sue wished that her mother had joined the FBI rather than deciding to travel the world hunting for aging Nazis. But still, she did have contacts in the Secret Service. In an uncharacteristic move, spurred only by the fact that she was a big fan of those two boys - and she swore she could hear Kurt whispering in her ear, telling her to do it - she called her mother. She asked the shocked lady in question for all the help she could provide in protecting two young men from an escaped fugitive. Sue was gratified when she was told that she would do whatever she could to help. Then again, Sue also knew that should it come down to it, she would throw herself in front of them to protect them from him.

By ten minutes to two, all of the guests were assembled in the Crystal Ballroom. All of them had managed to dress to the 1920s theme - sharp, well tailored suits for the guys, stylish dresses for the ladies. The majority of the men in the room were wearing the Dalton bowtie, including the former principal of that school. The jazz band was playing unobtrusively in one corner, the tunes they were playing fitting in entirely with the period. It shocked many, especially the youngest, just how many of those tunes they recognised and could name. Outside, Nick had arrived and was greeted warmly by Wes and Thad. They made a show of checking him over to ensure he was perfect for Jeff whilst Burt took Sebastian, Mrs Duval, Grace and Cooper to one side and told them the bad news. There was shock - near horror on the part of Nick's mother, but they all agreed eventually to the 'say nothing' plan. After one final look at her son, making a show of straightening the handkerchief that was placed in his breast pocket, Mrs Duval allowed Cooper to lead her to their assigned seats at the front, the other three walking in behind them.

As Nick walked down the aisle between the chairs that had been set out in the ballroom, he could feel the excitement starting to build in the room, and in himself. He was in short a very happy man. The decoration was exquisite; the flowers fresh and perfect, from all of those that decorated the room to the pristine red rose in his buttonhole. The room was filled with his friends and family. His grandparents where there, sitting behind his mother in the second row, both of them beaming with happiness and pride. Next to them sat his aunt and cousin from Chicago. She caught his eye and nudged her son, who gave him a thumbs up. Nick made his way to stand at the front, flanked by Sebastian and Grace, to await the arrival of his husband-to-be. A sudden draught let him know that Blaine had arrived and was also at his side.

"Last moments of freedom now, Nicholas. If you want to run…" Blaine whispered in jest.

"Never," came his reply. "Not in a million years."

With five minutes to go, the second town car pulled up outside the hotel. "This is it," said Jeff.

"Yep," said Trent, with a grin on his face. "He's in there, waiting for you. And as you told me, both of you, that neither one of you wished to be perceived as the bride, we had better get in there before you end up being the one who is late."

They stepped out of the car, and once again Wes and Thad were waiting to take Jeff to one side whilst Burt relayed the bad news. This time, both Elspeth and Trent began to cry, but their tears were short lived. Elspeth was as keen as everyone else to see that things went according to plan, and once she had made it plain what her position was, Trent dried his eyes and remembered his duties. The Sterlings asked Burt to take a quick photo of the wedding party - that done, they went in to take their seats, followed by Burt, Wes and Thad. "Ready son?" said Elspeth.

"I've been ready for a few years now, so let's get started," replied Jeff, getting a laugh from his mother and Trent.

They walked in, and were stopped by the wedding planner at the back. She gave a signal to the band, and they brought the tune they were playing to a quick end. Wes moved to stand at the front of the guests, and on the stroke of two, the band began to play again. As Jeff started to walk in, Trent and Elspeth behind him, Wes sang _Love is the Sweetest Thing,_ making Jeff smile, mirroring the one on Nick's face as he watched him enter. As he walked, Jeff observed all the other smiling faces, amongst them his uncle from Chicago, and his new family. He nearly laughed as he saw that Luke and Duncan, in matching suits, were nearly bouncing up and down with excitement.

Then he was at the front, standing by Nick. His beautiful, charming, intelligent Nick. The latter was thinking much the same about Jeff - his funny, talented, blond bombshell. His husband. His future. Nothing was going to stop them now. As the music finished, Nick looked at Wes and he gave him a nod. It was the moment to give Jeff his first surprise.

Nick smiled at Jeff and whispered "I love you" before moving away from him to stand next to Wes at the front. Jeff looked confused at first, particularly when all the other warblers apart from Trent made their way from their places to join them. He turned to look at Trent, and found his best man looked just as bemused as he did. In front of them, the Warblers had assembled into the formation that they all knew so well, and now stood there, awaiting the signal from Wes.

Then Nick spoke. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you all to the New Yorker Hotel on what is the happiest day of my life so far. This is the day that I let the whole world know that I have found my missing puzzle piece; the day that I make everything official. As you all know, it took me a while to realise that he wasn't just my best friend, but the love of my life. Other people conspired to make sure that I very nearly lost the opportunity to spend the rest of my life with him. I think that is one of the reasons why sometimes he doesn't believe just how much I love and adore him. That I love him more as each day goes by. So I thought that I would show him in the way that we Warblers do it best. In song." He nodded to Wes, who in turn made a discrete signal. With a burst of humming, the Warblers began to sing _My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose_. It was perfection, each voice blended together in perfect pitch and harmony. As he sung each word, Nick only had eyes for Jeff, his face filled with expressions of love. Jeff felt his eyes begin to tear up; beside him, Trent was in much the same state, and they weren't the only ones. Just one look at him told them all that Nick would love Jeff until the seas went dry and the sun melted the earth. When he finished, Nick knew exactly what to expect and he wasn't disappointed - Jeff ran straight over to hug him and to whisper his love in his ear over and over again.

Then it was time for the actual ceremony to begin. The city official took her place in front of the two boys, and began by welcoming them all to the marriage of Nick Duval and Jeff Sterling. She explained all the processes and procedures, the rules and regulations. Then she asked the question that fills every groom with dread, particularly if they are in a room full of friends that are partial to playing practical jokes. "If there is any person here present that knows of any reason why these two should not be joined in matrimony, they must declare it now…"

It was at that moment that the door at the back of the room was flung open, and a strident voice declared "I can give you a darned good reason…."


	19. The Wedding Part Two

**The Wedding Part Two**

" _If there is any person here present that knows of any reason why these two should not be joined in matrimony, they must declare it now_ _…"_

 _It was at that moment that the door at the back of the room was flung open, and a strident voice declared_ _"_ _I can give you a darned good reason_ _…_ _._ _"_

Everyone in the room had jumped when the door opened. The youngest of the Warblers had suddenly found themselves pushed back; parents moved to shield children, partners moved to shield each other. At the front, Nick and Jeff were oblivious to all of that. All they saw was the man in the doorway. A man from their shared past, who they had hoped not to see here.

Everyone was quite relieved when Nick finally said "Dad?"

They all knew about Mr Duval's reaction when Nick had declared his love for Jeff on the stage at Dalton. They knew that his response to Nick coming out had not been favourable in any way, shape or form. He had left his son bruised and bleeding; had threatened him with a trip to straight camp. He had followed him when he had fled to the safety of the Sterlings' home. There had been a doorstep confrontation between him, Mr Sterling and Burt, the result of which was his declaration that he no longer had a son. As a consequence he had subsequently lost his daughter, his sister and eventually his wife. Now he had turned up with the intention of spoiling the wedding. They were not going to let him.

"I object to this union on the grounds that my son is not gay. He has been seduced into a life of depravity by that blond creature; encouraged in it by that fag school and those perverts that he thinks of as friends. Even his mother and sister have aided his slide into corruption. My boy can be cured of his sin if he was given the chance. If he was taken away from all of those bad influences, then he could be made normal again."

There was a stunned silence in the room. Jeff looked as if someone had just stabbed him through the heart. Grace looked sad, disappointed by the words of the man that she had once upon a time admired and looked up to. As for Nick, his facial expression had changed from calm, to angry, to downright livid as Jeff's face had begun to crumple as his distress built.

"I don't actually see why you are here," Nick began, trying to keep his voice at an even tone. "You made it quite plain, in front of a house full of witnesses, all of whom are here by the way, that I was no longer your son. That you didn't have a son. Do you know how much that hurt me? I cried for hours. I had lost my dad, a man that I had always looked up to and respected. He had ceased to love me because I had fallen in love with another boy. And I love Jeff - I will never love anyone else. He is it for me. My forever after. I'm sorry that I couldn't give you what you wanted, but this is my choice dad, my decision. I have to follow my true nature, rather than be locked in misery with a girl just to keep you happy. You left my life, and you have no right whatsoever to come here today and try to ruin the happiest day of our lives. You won't succeed in that. If you are unable to accept Jeff as my husband, then I no longer have a father. So, the choice is yours - sit down and celebrate with us, or go and crawl back under the rock that you emerged from."

There was silence in the room, all eyes turning from Nick back to Mr Duval. "No son of mine is going to marry a fag…"

"Then you are no longer my father. I have no need for you. The door is right behind you, and I'm sure Puck can assist you in finding it."

"Be my pleasure, Nick," said Puck, getting to his feet, noticing that Santana, Sam and David had done exactly the same.

Mr Duval turned on his heel and headed out, with a final shout of "You can all rot in hell" aimed back at the room.

His dad gone, Nick turned his attention back to Jeff, who was being held up by Trent. He stepped over and took him in his arms. "Do you think that your dad would adopt me? We didn't luck out with our biological father's, did we?"

Jeff smiled at that and let out a small chuckle. "At least mine is in prison," he said as he allowed Nick to hold him closer. Neither of them saw the looks on the faces of those around them as he said those words. Eventually, the celebrant coughed to attract their attention, and they separated and turned back to face her. The service proceeded swiftly and then finally, it was time for their vows.

"Nick, the day I walked into that English classroom at Dalton and saw you for the first time, I knew that I wanted you in my life forever. Just seeing you made my heart beat faster, my soul light and even the worst day better. From that day, you have been there for me, through the good, the bad and the downright awful. You always know exactly what to say and do to make me feel better about my life and everything that has been thrown at me. You are my sunshine on a rainy day; my rock; my constant. You are my muse. You believe in me when I doubt myself. Marrying you is the most sensible thing that I have ever done. People say that we are young, but unlike in the song, we do know. We know that we are the real deal. That we are forever. I promise you my loyalty, my heart and my soul. Whatever the world decides to throw at us, that is the one thing that will never alter. I love you, my Nicky."

"Jeff, you came bouncing into my life and made it bright. I had lived in the darkness for so long. You are my guiding star, my beacon to follow. It took me some time to grasp that, because I was so afraid that if I got it wrong, I would lose you forever, and would never be able to get you back. We have had more than our fair share of obstacles to overcome, but we have done, together. As a team, we are unstoppable. You make me smile each and every day - from the moment that I wake up next to you until I slip into sleep in the warmth of your arms. I will never stop needing you to make me whole. Marrying you is my way of shouting to the world that I am yours, and that you are mine. I want to scream it from the rooftops. My love for you is for eternity, in this life and the next, when we are reunited with Kurt, Blaine and Finn. In a few moments, I will become the happiest man alive, when I add Sterling to my surname. I can't wait any longer. I just want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you, my Jeffie."

Then it was time for them to exchange rings. They had chosen them on one long afternoon of going from store to store in Manhattan. They had been able to find nothing that they really liked, and had all but given up hope of ever finding what they really wanted on their budget. They had only stopped to look in the window of Tiffany for a laugh - it was way beyond their price range. They had been about to walk away when Jeff had grabbed Nick's arm and pointed. Sitting at the very back of the window, in a corner, were two rings of rose gold - very plain, very traditional and therefore perfect. Even better, they were well within their means, unless there had been some sort of pricing error. They had sprinted into the store at such speed that they were almost thrown out again immediately by the security guard. They found an assistant that looked fearsome, but once they informed her that it was a pair of wedding rings that they were looking for, her entire demeanour changed. She retrieved their chosen rings from the window, and there was an anxious moment in which they worried if they would fit. They should never have doubted for a second that they would - after all, everything else had fallen into place with no issues. They knew that they were the ones, and they bought them. It was the assistant that suggested that they have something engraved inside them. They had agreed, both of them recalling the ring that Jeff wore with Nick's thumbprint etched onto it. They had pondered what to have engraved all night and had in the end agreed on some simple words. Written on the inside of Nick's ring, in Latin, were the words _Nick nemo absque Jeff_. In Jeff's were the words _Non absque Nick Jeff_. They both meant much the same in English - No Nick without Jeff and No Jeff without Nick respectively. They had Blaine to thank for saying those words as he lay in his hospital bed nearly a year ago.

They exchanged rings, both of them looking deep into each others eyes with so much love that Sue would have described it as sickening. Would have - now she just felt happy for them. Finally came the words that they had all been waiting for.

"In this room, in front of their families and friends, Nick Duval and Jeff Sterling have pledged their lives to each other. They have agreed to love and cherish each other for as long as they both shall live - and I believe that they will. So, by the power vested in me by the City of New York, I declare that they are now husbands. Ladies and Gentlemen, please be upstanding for Nick and Jeff Sterling-Duval - and by the way, you can kiss now…"

And kiss they did as the entire room rose to its feet and applauded loudly. Around the room, couples exchanged glances - Mike smiled at Tina, Puck at Quinn; Dave gripped Sebastian's hand tightly; Trent and Rory hugged; Luke and Duncan were bouncing for joy. In the midst of the Warblers, Edward whispered the words "One day…" in Colin's ear. And to one side, unobserved by anyone, Wes took hold of Thad's hand and smiled at him. After all, dreams can come true.

As the applause started to die down, Sebastian made his way over to the piano, and gave the pianist a nod. He began to play the opening notes of Tom Odell's _Real Love_ , and then Sebastian sang. The last of the applause died out as he did so; after the first part, the others began to join in - not just his fellow Warblers as planned, but virtually everyone in the room. Nick and Jeff stood at the front in silence, both of them with damp eyes. As the last note was sung they were the first to clap. After the noise had all died down again, Nick managed to get silence. He wondered why Wes had not helped him out with Mr Bangy, but the thought quickly slipped his mind.

"Ladies and gentlemen, my husband and I…" - he stopped to allow the whooping and clapping to die down again - "…would ask you all now to take your seats at the tables, because if you are anything like Jeff, you are probably ravenous by now. I know that I am."

So they moved en masse to their assigned seats. Everyone spotted the two empty seats at the top table, and the other empty one between Carole and Rachel. This time, most of the guests could see that they weren't empty at all. The food was exquisite - every dish prepared to the exact liking of the person that it was for. The decision to go for meals from the full menu was more than justified by the happy faces around the room. It was also a three course meal, so also much better than the standard buffet favoured by so many these days. Far fewer people had ordered the most expensive dishes than they had budgeted for, not that it was really a consideration for them. All they had ever wanted was a wedding that would be enjoyed as much by their friends and families as it was by them, and that was what they had achieved. Dessert finished, it was time for the speeches, but with a twist. They had decided that they wished to spare Sebastian and Trent from making a speech each of their own - at their request, Wes was going to make one speech for both of them. The last dessert plate cleared away, it was time. Wes tapped a knife against the side of his glass, and the assembled company quickly fell silent to hear what he would say.

"Ladies and Gentlemen; Warblers, New Directions, friends and family, this day has been quite some time in coming. We should of course have had the first all Warbler wedding in Dalton history last year, when Kurt Hummel was due to marry Blaine Anderson. We lost our chance to see our Klaine marry in the most horrific of circumstances - therefore the mantel of the first Warbler to marry another one has passed instead to our beloved Niff. I use the term beloved with no fear of contradiction, because every right minded person loves them. The day that Nick finally came to his senses cost me $50, but hey it was worth every cent to me - and David, Thad and Flint. Seriously, Trent Nixon was quite a hustler on that score. Ask any of their close friends the same question and we will all tell you the same thing - we love our Niff. I remember Jeff on his first day at Dalton. Believe it our not, he was shy, subdued and so quiet. Once I got him into the Warblers and persuaded him to sing, he slowly started to change. He became self confident, which is good. He became a noisy, mischievous scamp, which wasn't so good. Then again, you can't have it all. Then he met Nick on his first day of sophomore year, and that was when it began. In all his conversations it was Nick this, Nick that. He was smitten and we all expressed our joy and waited. And waited. And waited. It took almost three long years for something to finally happen, but when it did, it was spectacular. The kiss is a legend at Dalton now. Even now, it is talked about and some of the boys have even made their own videos of an epic kiss in the auditorium - ah, the joy of simple, modern film editing techniques. I digress. Nick got there in the end, and that is all that matters."

"Their road to that point was not an easy one. They had to deal with torture and pain under the auspices of Hunter Clarington - but, and this is maybe a tad controversial, I believe that the whole thing bonded them together; threw them into a set of circumstances in which they were pushed towards each other more than ever. They had to comfort each other and came to depend on each other. It helped Nick to realise that what he felt for Jeff was more than just the love of one friend for another. It was love - a deep, spiritual love that would eventually become physical and complete him for the first time. For Jeff, that was all of his dreams made real. A dream that he had first had at the age of six - a dream he drew the next day, and I have seen the picture. They have been together officially for just over a year, but they have a relationship that is so much more mature than many that have been going on far longer. They know each other so well - they gel in a manner that can only be described as sickening. They are like bread and butter, salt and pepper, sweet and sour; a combination that is undeniable, indisputable and perfect. I think that I can say here and now, that without a shadow of a doubt, they will have many, many more celebrations on this date for decades to come. I only hope that I will have as much luck when I marry. Ok, now it is time for me to be quiet - so, I give you Niff. Two of my best friends, and two of the luckiest people in the world. Please raise your glasses and join with me in the toast - Niff!"

After Wes finished his speech, the room was filled with the sound of glasses being tapped together as they all drank to the two newlyweds. Wes continued by reading out messages that had been sent by people that could not be there - from Séamus Flanagan; François Girard, his brother Luke and their friend Jean-Marc; there was even a cryptic one from someone that signed only as Karl(a). Then he announced that before their first dance, both of the boys wanted to sing. There was more applause as Nick moved down from the top table and took his spot on the stage. He nodded to the band and music began to play, a tune which fitted in with the era around which the whole day had been themed. His song choice had been made famous by Fred Astaire many years before - _S_ _'_ _Wonderful_. The words made them all smile as Nick sang about how it was a miracle that Jeff cared for him. The applause at the end was heartfelt and grew louder as Nick and Jeff hugged as they passed each other on the dance floor. Jeff took to the stage, but did not sing. Instead he spoke. "Yesterday, Nick lied to me. Not a big one, but still a lie. Thing was, I worked out that something was going on when Trent and I were the only Warblers that hadn't vanished. I guessed that you were planning a song, so I thought two can play at that game. So, boys…." At those words, Trent, Sam, Mike, Rory and Artie came forward and joined him on the stage. They began when the music did with a chorus of "Love, love, love you baby" to introduce Jeff on the classic _I can_ _'_ _t give you anything but love_. It was another big hit, getting him a standing ovation.

The two songs over, Wes announced that it was now time for the first dance. If anyone had been expecting the two boys to join each other in a classic waltz, they were to be left sorely disappointed. Jeff made his way onto the dance floor alone, prompting some to wonder if he was more upset than he had made out about Nick's previous lies. When the music began, it was another shock - it was not a classic from the 1920s or 30s, but a song from the 1970s they had first heard in their tiny little apartment above the coffee shop in Chicago. Mike had been there at the time, and he had wholeheartedly approved of the track that they had played at random from the internet. It was the only possible choice of song for their first dance and Mike had planned them some choreography to go with it. He and Tina had been secretly practicing it with them; one night Rory and Trent had caught them, and they had been taught the steps too. The song was _Shame, Shame, Shame_ by Shirley and Company. The steps were simple and easy to copy. Jeff was joined first by Nick; then eventually Mike, Tina, Rory and Trent jumped in. it didn't take much after that to persuade Puck and Quinn, Santana and Brittany and Sam and Rachel to join in. Mercedes and David came up too, but danced their own more sedate steps. Beats and Flint danced next to each other - definitely not together. As for Thad, he started out all on his own, beckoning to Wes to join him. He refused, then the moment that Thad gave up, he jumped up beside him. Sebastian, dancing next to Dave, quirked an eyebrow at that, then just shook his head. In the corner, Kurt and Blaine also danced up a storm together, as Finn attempted his own solo version next to them.

In the hotel kitchens far below, one of the sous chefs had opened the back door so that he could pop out for a cigarette. He was so engrossed with that and his cellphone that he failed to notice the man in dark clothes that walked in through the door and promptly hid himself amongst the cages of linens awaiting collection by the laundryman later that night. Although all the staff had been briefed to be on the lookout for Gordon Clarington, no-one had expected him to materialise through that particular door. In any case, the restaurant manager and the head chef had been too busy to ensure that they had briefed every single member of their staffs. So it was that Jeff's natural father was able to slip into the New Yorker. He knew that he was too late to stop the wedding, but he could ensure that the wedding night was going to be one that they wouldn't forget, for all the wrong reasons. The first part of his plan had already been put in motion. After all, those two had to pay for what they had done to him, and to Hunter...


	20. The Wedding Part Three

**The Wedding Part Three**

Back in the Crystal Ballroom, the reception was in full swing. The dance floor was full, the music was playing, most of it in keeping with the theme of the day, and most of it was being sung by friends. Nick and Jeff were in great demand - both of them had danced with their mothers, which meant two dances in the case of Jeff, whilst Nick had danced with Grace. Warbler after Warbler had taken to the stage to sing, all of them having learnt a classic from the themed decades. The current group of Warblers, along with Jasper and Brad, had blown them all away with their talent; then again, the young New Directions had done just as well, with duets from Mason and Jane, Madison and Roderick and Spencer and Alistair; the latter two dancing with each other at every opportunity, and engaging in competition with Edward and Colin, and Luke and Duncan, as to who made the cutest young gay couple.

Then something happened that brought the room to a halt. Trent had made his way to the stage, and after a quick word with the band, had pulled Rory up on stage next to him. He then began to sing _Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered_ to his boyfriend. To everyone's surprise and delight, he turned to Rory, got down on one knee and held out a ring box. He was using the song as a proposal, with the slightly altered line "I'll cling to him, each day to him and long for the day when I'll marry him" being its culmination. Rory's answer came in the shape of a vigorous nodding of the head. Trent slipped the ring onto his finger and pulled him into a hug as the song went instrumental - but the moment that the lyrics started again, Trent found himself pushed away from the microphone by Rory, who proceeded to sing the remainder of the song. As he came to the line "And worship the trousers that cling to him" (which earned him a "Wanky" from Santana) he suddenly knelt on one knee too, and pulled out a ring box of his own. It was definitely a case of great minds thinking alike. The end of the song was drowned out with applause, as the whole room went wild. Eventually it died down, and Trent thanked them all on behalf of himself and his fiancé - which caused another outburst of noise. The minute they stepped of the stage, the newly engaged couple found themselves being enveloped in a hug by Nick and Jeff - and Brittany and Wes were right behind them. It was just another moment of perfection on a marvellous day.

After some more dancing, and with one eye carefully trained on the clock, Nick called for order again, so that he could make a speech. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to take a moment to thank you all so much for being here tonight with us to celebrate the happiest day of both our lives. To be able to say that Jeff is now my husband - well, that is something I will never be tired of saying. That is something that Trent and Rory will have to get used to saying in their own time; and I am sure that their wedding will be just as fantastic as ours has been. We Warblers seem to make a habit of proposing at each others weddings - this is of course the second time that something like this has happened. So gentleman, if you would like to propose at the Trory nuptials, please see Wes so that he can schedule it in. Then again, don't feel obligated to hang off until then either, because trust me, being engaged feels wonderful - being a husband, that feels much, much better. So, back to the point. I would like to propose a toast of my own. One of thanks to our two beautiful groomsmaids, the two best best men in the world, and more importantly still, to the family that came to support us. Our natural fathers don't deserve to know what they are missing. But, particular thanks has to go to one man tonight; the man who oversaw so much of what has taken place today and has helped to keep the two of us sane. The man who created an atmosphere in which we all could feel comfortable and admit who we were back at Dalton. He is our best friend; an inspiration to all the Warblers out there; someone that is very special indeed. I would ask you all to raise your glasses to the one and only Head Warbler. To Wes Montgomery, without whom I doubt that even half of this would have been possible. To Wes!"

As the room raised their glasses in a toast to Wes, voices raised happily, it was all finally too much for Blaine. He had done his utmost to hide his feelings about what he knew was coming the following day. He had not wanted to ruin the day for Nick and Jeff - after all, they were two of his best friends. He had kept a smile on his face and had been on his best behaviour. He had danced with Kurt, and when Trent had proposed to Rory, he had almost forgotten. Almost. There were moments like that, when he could blank it out, like when he was up on stage, singing an impromptu duet with Kurt after having been threatened by Santana. But now, all the pretence had taken its toll, and he just couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't be in the same room as them any longer, knowing what was coming. He knew, as did Finn and Kurt, that this time tomorrow, one of them would be dead. The happiness that filled this room tonight would be replaced by an overwhelming sense of loss, and a grief that would weigh them all down. For some, the sense of emptiness would last a lifetime.

"I need to get out of here Kurt. I can't take it any longer - please, take me home. I just need to forget what I know is ahead and I can't do that here." Kurt nodded, and told Finn that he and Blaine were leaving. No goodbyes, just vanishing. To tell the guests that they had to go at the behest of Elizabeth. Finn nodded and shot a look of sympathy at Blaine, who looked on the verge of tears. He knew that he would be following them very shortly too.

No-one noticed that Kurt and Blaine had gone at first, apart from Wes. He saw the look on Blaine's face, and recognised it as the one that said he was miserable. He assumed quite rightly that it was something to so with the collections that he now had to make that had brought him to that state. He knew of course that he had a major one to do the following day thanks to Sam, and that had probably tempered his excitement at being there to share in the happy occasion. He knew that feeling all too well. Sometimes though you just had to live in the moment, forget your worries and have fun. That was what he was trying to do. Even a few weeks ago, the idea that he would be up and dancing with Thad at the wedding was one that he could scarcely contemplate. But that was exactly what he was doing, and the dance was no fast paced one either. He had the younger man in his arms, his head cradled on his shoulder as they swayed slowly around the room. He knew that for him, tonight was turning into a dream come true. It was getting close to that for him as well. He loved the feeling of the young man in his arms. It felt right. 'Why didn't I do this sooner? So much time wasted!' he thought, as Thad looked up at him with a smile that radiated pure pleasure. And he smiled right back. Around the room, a whole flock of Warblers and their friends smiled on seeing them too.

Midnight came and went. Some of the younger people had been escorted away. Despite pleading and begging, Moira had taken Luke, Duncan and Flora back to Cooper's, but not before Nick and Jeff had taken the two boys for a whirl around the floor. They were tired, but didn't want to go. They only consented when Nick lied and said that he and Jeff would be leaving soon themselves. After the two boys had gone, Santana approached the newlyweds with a look on her face.

"Oh, oh," said Jeff. "Something's up Nicky…"

"So," began Santana. "Duncan. Your cousin's boyfriend. Sweet; lovely; a little like Rory but far less Irish. His surname is O'Hara, according to your cousin Dylan. He then told me the whole story…"

Nick paled, and nodded. "Look, he's a good kid. He and Luke are happy. And Tommy tried to do the right thing in the end. He turned on Hunter and helped us. You can't choose your family. So please, let them be happy and keep it to yourself."

"I fully intend to, Nick. Don't worry. They are sweet together. It's a lot like watching you two years back but without the whole 'I'm straight' thing going on. All I am saying is, maybe it would be better if everyone knew about it now, rather than it suddenly emerging in a few years time. Anyway, changing the subject - have you seen Porcelain or the Hobbit recently, because they would appear to have vanished?"

At that moment, Jeff realised that it was a long time since he had seen either Kurt or Blaine. He turned and scanned the room and saw Finn, attempting to hide in a corner. The latter knew exactly what he was about to be asked as he saw Jeff, with Nick right behind him, approach.

"Kurt's mom had an urgent collection for them to make - they had to go at once. They're sorry that they did not get a chance to say goodbye properly, but they said that they will come and see the two of you on Monday, if you can forgive them."

By the time he got the final words out, Santana had joined the two boys. She stood in silence as Nick replied "I guess that we can forgive them - after all they do have important work to do. Tell them that we understand, and that the newlyweds look forward to seeing them on Monday."

Finn nodded, but couldn't help but notice that Santana looked unconvinced. As Niff walked away, Finn muttered that he should really go too. That was when he heard her. "Finnessa. There is something going on here. I don't know what, but I am not happy. Tell Kurt and Blaine that I will find out what they're up to…" As she walked away, Finn swallowed. Once again, her Mexican Third Eye had struck. She would find out what was going on soon enough though. They all would. He slowly made his way over to where his mom and Burt sat beside Puck, Quinn and Rachel. It was time to say his farewells and make more excuses for Kurt and Blaine.

The latter two were by this time sat side by side in the living area of their loft. If they looked out the window, they could almost pick out the silhouette of the New Yorker on their own New York skyline. Blaine had burst into floods of tears the moment that they had got back. Kurt took him into his arms and held him close as his own tears ran down his cheeks unchecked. His heart broke as he felt the small frame of his husband shake with each and every sob. He didn't envy him for what he had to do tomorrow. His time would come after all - one day, he would find himself having to go and bring one of his closest friends home. He dreaded it. He could understand why Blaine was broken by it; he would be too.

"You can do this Blaine," he said in a near whisper. "I know it is going to be hard. It is going to break your heart; I know that mine is breaking already - for you, for them, for all our friends. It isn't fair. Our deaths weren't fair, and neither was Finn's. But there is nothing that any of us can do to change it. We just have to accept it. You have to make it good for them. They will be scared; confused; upset. A friendly face will help. I know that having Finn and my mom helped me…."

"Knowing that I was coming to you helped me too Kurt. It's just… They have their whole life ahead of them - a bright future. They will leave someone so special behind, someone who will never fully get over it. Why them?"

"Because it is. There is no rhyme or reason. It is their time, and that is it. Their work on earth is obviously done, whatever we or they think. And it is so sad for them; what they will leave behind is a void that will be difficult to ever fill. The ripples from this will be tsunami like. We will have to support them here - and everyone left behind at the same time. At least they will all be able to see them - that is scant consolation I know, but it is better than them just vanishing. Ok, we have talked enough. You need to be rested for tomorrow. Ready for the challenge. I can't do this for you, but I can come with you, if you would like me to?"

"Yes, please come, Kurt. I think that it would be easier with you there by my side. So yes, please. It would be better for them, too…"

"Then it's a plan Blaine. You and me, we will do this together. In and out, get them back here. Then we can stay with them whilst they get used to the idea of being dead…"

* * *

As the clock hit one in the morning, Wes decided it was time to take his leave. Most of the older guests had left, leaving only the Warblers and the New Directions, although the youngest members of both groups seemed ready for bed - indeed, he could see Colin and Edward curled up asleep on each other in one corner. He made his way out onto the dance floor where Nick and Jeff were slow dancing with each other to a very chilled jazz number. "Guys, it's time for me to go…."

"Oh, no, don't go Wes. It's still early," said Jeff.

"Err, actually it isn't early anymore Jeffie, and we know that Wes has his audition tomorrow," said Nick, his face sad. "So we need to let him go - and I think that we need to think about heading to bed ourselves…" Jeff's face suddenly perked up at that line, which made Wes smile and shake his head.

"Ok, my Niff, I just want you to know that I am so happy for you, Mr and Mr Sterling-Duval. I've watched you for four years and I guess that I always knew that this would happen one day. Don't ever change. Living with you - it was interesting, but I am so glad that I had the chance to. I will be in touch soon." With that, he pulled them both into a tight hug. "I am going to miss you two…"

"We'll miss you too, Wes," said Nick, as Jeff nodded in agreement.

"Hey guys!" Jeff suddenly yelled, "Wes is trying to sneak away quietly - but I think that we need a song…."

There were shouts of agreement from around the room, and Wes rolled his eyes. "Sorry guys, I'm not singing anymore. I have an audition in a few hours and I need to save my voice."

"I remember a time when he left and couldn't sing before," said Flint.

"Oh yeah, his Senior's leaving party," said Beats.

"So we had to improvise so as to preserve the tradition of the departing Seniors singing to the other Warblers as they leave," said Ethan, as Drew smiled.

Wes looked around the room as his Warblers all got up and walked towards him, and shook his head. "You guys wouldn't dare - and I forbid you to do it Nick!" he shouted as he saw him heading towards his iPod.

"He wouldn't dare, but I would," said David and before Wes could round on his best friend, the music started, and so he shrugged and accepted the inevitable.

So it was that Wes mouthed along to Gracie Fields singing _Wish me Luck as you Wave me Goodbye_. At first the New Directions and the youngest Warblers did not know where to look; when after the first verse and chorus Wes jumped up on a chair and took a salute from his boys as they marched past, they laughed - and then all joined in on the repeat. As the song drew to its close, Wes walked out of the door, waving as he did so. No-one was surprised when Thad ran out after him, least of all Wes.

After agreeing that Thad could walk with him to Penn station, if he took a taxi back to the hotel, Wes walked back in to say his proper goodbyes. There were hugs for everyone, much to the surprise of Sebastian - who also got a whispered "Never forget that you are one of the good guys - keep an eye on my boys for me and be happy." Santana was also startled, but quickly relaxed into it, even when he told her to hurry up and buy Brittany a ring. "You want her with you forever - I can tell, it's my Cantonese Third Eye. She will say yes…" Ethan and Drew were told to Skype more; Beats and Flint were told to keep taking Nick and Jeff out to the club; Trent and Rory were told that he was ecstatic for them, and that he was looking forward to their wedding; David was told to look after Thad when they were back in L.A. - and that he would see him again soon. Dave was told to keep an eye on Sebastian. Puck was the one who hugged Wes, who just laughed, and then whispered to him to keep an eye out for you know who. Then, as time was getting on, he gave one last hug to Nick and Jeff and headed out, his arm around Thad.

"Are those two a couple?" came a sleepy voice from the corner where the youngest of the New Directions sat.

"Not officially - yet," said Artie with a smile at Kitty standing next to him. "I think that it's only a matter of time though. That is no bad thing - those two work together. I would wager that by Christmas, we will have Thes." And all around the room, people nodded in agreement.


	21. Thes?

_So Niff are married, Trory engaged, and Thes is on its way.  
Just a shame that death is on its way too..._

 **Thes?**

It was only a short walk from the New Yorker to Penn station. The streets had begun to quieten, the majority of the Saturday night crowds on their way home. As they stepped out of the hotel, Wes decided to take a risk. He reached over and took Thad's hand, and then pulled the younger man closer. He smiled at his face, a look of shock mixed with delight upon it.

"It might be a while until I get the opportunity to do this again, so I thought, why not? I don't think it is much of a secret anymore that you like me, and I like you. A lot. That week we spent together on our own in Bushwick just made me all the more certain. I'm not quite there yet, but I am getting there. I know what I want, and that is you, my little Thaddie. I just need to sort a few things out with my family, because they will not like this one bit. I guess that if I am honest, I don't care about that anymore. I just want to be happy, and I am pretty certain that I will be happy with you. I think I knew that back in Dalton - I was just…"

"Scared? You must have been, because I was too. Our families are not so very different - they have set rules and standards that they want us to abide by. You decided to keep on obeying them, whereas I chose to rebel. I will be the only Harwood in my immediate family that does not have a medical qualification. I just couldn't do it. They keep sending me pamphlets about medical degree courses that I could still do. I want to teach Wes, and that is what I am going to do. If they cut me off, then I will still have my other family - my Warbler brothers."

"And me. You will always have me," said Wes, gripping Thad's hand tighter. "I will always be there, at your side, when you need me. That I can promise you."

By now they had reached the door of the station. It was still early for the train, at least half an hour before Wes would be able to board. They found a café that was still open, and bought coffee. They sat in a booth in the virtually deserted space, across from each other, their hands clasped tight on the top of the table. Thad asked Wes if he thought that they could meet up again before Thanksgiving - he was certain that they could, and that he would come to Thad this time. A trip to L.A. sounded fun. It wouldn't be long until Wes felt that they could go official and let everyone know what they had already guessed. The excited smile on Thad's face made Wes feel strange inside. He wished that he had had the courage to do this earlier.

Back in the station, they descended to the lower level, just above the tracks, and eventually they found themselves at the top of the stair that lead to the track where the train was now waiting. It was the early hours of a Sunday morning and the station was like the café, nearly empty.

"Well, Wessie, this is it. I shouldn't keep you. I will miss you, so call me soon."

Wes nodded and smiled. "I will miss you too…."

"This is mad Wes, but stay… Don't go. You can sleep in my bed and I will take the floor. David won't mind…"

"I have to go. I want to get into the Hasty Pudding Club, so that I have something other than work at Harvard. They can only see me today…"

"I understand…. I'm going to go…. I love you, Wes."

He turned to go, but suddenly Wes grabbed his arm and pulled him into a recess. "I love you too, Thaddie," he whispered, and then he kissed him. Not a chaste kiss, but a full blown kiss. Thad thought he would pass out as Wes held him tight to his chest. In his brain, fireworks were exploding. Then it was over, leaving them both breathless. "Wow… Definitely want to be with you. Just….wow! You ok?"

"Never been better, Wessie…"

"Same here. Ok, train. Love you…"

"Love you…"

"Oh, darn it," said Wes, before he pulled Thad into another mind blowing kiss. This time, he did have to go, and he ran down the stairs to the train, leaving a dazed but ecstatic Thad waving at him.

Wes turned as he reached the bottom - as he had surmised, Thad was still there, his smile beaming. He looked so happy, as if at any moment he would just burst with pleasure. To be honest, Wes felt exactly the same at that moment. He threw caution to the wind, and blew one final kiss - chortled as one was blown right back. Then with a final wave, he headed over to the train, where the conductor was watching and smiling at him. He boarded the train and took a seat in a virtually empty coach. He suddenly felt so sad and bereft. 'Get off!' his heart screamed at him. 'Go and get him; show him just how much you love him!' He could do that, oh so easily. But then he would miss his appointment in Harvard, and that would potentially ruin everything. 'I'll soon be back with him,' he thought, a tear running down his cheek. Then the train was moving, and there was no option left. Wes kept the thought of Thad in his head as he dozed off to sleep as the train made its way slowly towards Connecticut through a dark and slumbering world.

Quite how long Thad stood at the top of the stairs after Wes disappeared from view he did not know. He kept hoping that Wes would come back - he knew in his heart that he wouldn't, but a boy can dream. If he hadn't been flying back to L.A. in just a few short hours with David then he could have bought a ticket, and rode with Wes, curled in at his side, all the way to Boston. In the end he heard a whistle, and the sound of the train moving off. He turned then and headed slowly for the exit. He couldn't really complain. Wes had actually kissed him. Twice. Each time it had been like nothing he had ever felt before. He was still in a daze, barely registering what was going on in the world around him. He moved on autopilot towards the station door, and then stopped right outside them. The hotel was so close - he wouldn't bother getting a taxi, even though he had promised Wes faithfully he would. He merely turned up the collar of his jacket, and stepped out into the light rain that was now falling steadily. Mentally he was back in his home in L.A., booking a flight to Boston. Finally he had said it. Wes had said that he loved him. He resisted the temptation to jump up and punch the air in celebration. It was the start of something big, that he did know. That, and he had never been happier in his life than he was right now. His feet kept him walking, but not towards the hotel. So preoccupied was his mind with what had just occurred with Wes that he was blissfully unaware of what was going on. He didn't hear the angry horns of cab drivers as he crossed avenues, his feet taking him on towards the Hudson River. His mind was elsewhere.

As a result, he did not hear the footsteps of the person that was following him. He had spotted him at the door of Penn station, and could tell from the look on his face that he was either drunk, high, or blissed out. That much was reinforced by his blatant disregard for the traffic; his ignorance of the curses and insults that were being directed at him. He looked as if he had money, though, and he was heading into the heartland of the gang that the young man following him belonged to.

This would be an easy one. Catch him up, grab him from behind, hold his knife to his throat and make him hand over his cash and that nice watch on his wrist. That would of course bring him back to the real world - he might struggle or scream out. Then the knife would come into play - it usually did. After all, who would miss another drunk, preppy boy that had blundered into the wrong part of town? Tragic victim that had lost his way, and paid for it with his life.

He sped up slightly and narrowed the gap between them after they crossed Eleventh Avenue. It wasn't even noticed. 'Yep,' he thought. 'This boy was going to be one of his easiest marks in a long time.'

Ahead a street light was out. A patch of darkness. It would be the perfect spot to carry out his plan….

 _TBC tomorrow..._


	22. Goodnight Sweetheart?

_Thad's in trouble, but doesn't know it - but is he the one death is calling for...?_

 **Goodnight Sweetheart?**

In the Crystal Ballroom, the party began to wind down after Wes left. There was an almost unspoken realisation that the newlyweds needed their alone time now, before they were too tired - they were almost falling asleep on the dance floor, both with big smiles on their faces. The band had already signed off, and the fact that the number of staff hovering around had increased was another indicator that it was time to call it a night. As so often seemed to happen in these circumstances, Puck found himself ensuring that everyone was sent on their way in safety - several cabs were needed to convey the youngest of the New Directions and Warblers back to their hotels in the lower priced areas of town. Marley, Kitty, Unique, Jake and Ryder managed to squash into one cab to head back to Kitty and Marley's tiny apartment, where they would all be staying. Mike, Tina, Beats and Flint were put into one Bushwick bound taxi, where the two former Warblers would be spending the night in Nick and Jeff's room. They had a delivery that they would be accepting and assisting with first thing in the morning on behalf of Nick. He saw Artie on his way in another cab, before he heard David say "Taxi for you, Quinn, Santana and Brittany - I will take it from here." Puck turned and gave him an impromptu hug, glad for once not to be the last man standing.

It fell to David to see Cooper, Grace and Dylan off in a cab to Murray Hill, and finally to put Rachel, Sam, Trent and Rory in a last one - he still could barely believe that on the day two of his younger friends got married, another two of them got engaged. It made him feel rather old, and just a little bit jealous. It was early days yet for him and Mercedes, but he could see himself getting down on one knee for her at some point. Just as he could imagine Wes doing the same for Thad. Thinking of them, he turned and looked up and down Eighth Avenue, expecting to see a sad looking Thad walking back from Penn station - he wouldn't take a cab such a sort distance, even if he had told Wes he would. He couldn't see him - he considered going and looking for him, but then he yawned, and he put the idea out of head. Thad was old enough to take care of himself. He headed up to their room, and lay down on the bed, intending to wait up for his friend. He was sound asleep in less than 30 seconds.

On the floor above him, Ethan and Drew were settling in for the night in their room next door to the honeymoon suite. It had been booked by Nick at the same time as he had booked the latter - it was a twin bedded room, intended no doubt for bridesmaids or groomsmen to share in the normal turn of events. They were on a floor high above the city, and from the south facing window, they could see the lights of the tall buildings at the tip of Manhattan. They both agreed it had been a long day, but a good one. It was nice to be back with all their fellow Warblers for the first time since they had graduated from Dalton two years earlier. They had of course sung a duet for them. They had practiced in Drew's room in Oxford before they had flown. Their rendition of _Well, Did you Evah?_ had left the entire room in stitches. It had also fitted in with the theme of the day perfectly, and Nick and Jeff had congratulated them both profusely. They had also joined in on the group numbers, both with the Warblers and with the New Directions too, the latter for the first time since the whole Slushie incident. It had all been great fun, and they had both asked for a copy of the wedding video to be sent to them by Artie when he had finished editing it.

In the room next door, there was darkness. Having bid goodnight to the last of their guests, Nick and Jeff had stayed in the ballroom to say thank you to all the staff, and had only then headed upstairs. As they walked along the corridor from the elevator, Jeff had suddenly announced that there was a tradition that he intended to stick to. Nick had regarded him with curiosity, particularly when he had said that he could do it for him tomorrow. Before he knew exactly what was happening, Nick had found himself being scooped up in Jeff's arms, as his "mad idiot of a husband" picked him up to carry him over the threshold. It wasn't easy to get a key card in the slot on the door when you were wobbling about in the arms of the love of your life, but after a couple of attempts, Nick managed, and also managed to avoid banging his head on the door or the door jamb by clinging tightly onto Jeff's shoulder. He had less success in placing the key card into the light switch, and ended up dropping the card on the floor. It wasn't an issue as the door was slow in closing, and in the few seconds that the light came in from the hallway, Jeff had established the approximate location of the bed and the path he needed to take. He stumbled forward, but had misjudged the distance slightly, and as a result, he and Nick ended up falling forward onto the bed in the by now pitch dark room; this whole scenario caused Nick to burst into giggles, with Jeff only moments behind him.

Once the giggles had stopped, Jeff began to crawl up the length of Nick's body, and began to shower him with kisses. "Hello husband" he said quietly in Nick's ear, as he cupped his face in his hands. This was their wedding night after all. He waited for him to reply, but no answer came. "Nick?" he said, "Please tell me you haven't fallen asleep on me…"

And that was when he felt Nick's hands clawing at him. Not in a good way, but in a frantic way, as if desperately trying to attract his attention. Then Jeff noticed that Nick's breathing was off. Way off. He was starting to gasp for air and didn't seem to be succeeding in getting any. There was a horrible rattle in his throat, as if he was slowly choking.

"Nick!? Calm down, and just breathe slowly for me…" said Jeff, his anxiety clearly coming out in his tone. He realised that Nick was trying to say something - one of his hands was clawing at his own throat, the other was gripping his hand so tightly it was starting to hurt. The gravity of the situation hit Jeff - his husband could not breathe properly - why he did not know - but he did know that it was serious. Potentially life threatening.

"Nick!? Nicky! Help, I need to get help. Nick, hold on for me, I'm going to try and get help…."

He found to his horror that Nick would not let go of his hand - it was as if he couldn't. Their legs were tangled together, and worse, he could sense that Nick's limbs were starting to fit. This couldn't be happening, not now. Not on what was the happiest day of his life. He couldn't lose him now…

So all he could do, as the tears began to streak down his face was scream out….

"HELP! NICKY! HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP ME! HELP!"

 _TBC Tomorrow..._


	23. The Stuff of Nightmares

_Thad or Nick? Or is death coming to claim someone else...?_

 **The stuff of Nightmares**

Across the city, in Bushwick, in Nick and Jeff's loft, Mike was desperate to get to bed. Flint and Beats had other plans though and Tina was going along with them. The two of them were larking about in the kitchen, making toast at first, then changing it to grilled cheese at the last minute. Tina had been elected to make hot chocolate, and was now in the process of dancing around the kitchen with Beats, to the music quietly playing from his iPad. Mike declined the grilled cheese, but gratefully accepted a mug of hot chocolate. He was tired, but he still had the energy to spin Tina around the kitchen whilst Beats devoured his grilled cheese. As he held her close, he felt a sense of contentment that he hadn't felt for a long time wash over him. He knew that one day he wanted to marry Tina, to have all his friends celebrating with them as they had just done for Nick and Jeff. He couldn't help but think that if it hadn't been for the fact that life can be so cruel, it would have been another couple getting married in such a glamorous location. Then again, their wedding had been pretty special. He had never imagined as he grew up in an ordinary family in Ohio that he would one day be able to see angels; or that he would end up as the roommate of a married gay couple whilst he studied at one of the most prestigious dance schools in the world. He hadn't been able to predict much of what he had witnessed. Now Tina he could have pictured. She just felt so right in his arms. Could he possibly be the next person to sink down on one knee and propose? Or would Tina beat him to it? If she suddenly proposed then it wouldn't be a total shock. He was going to have to do a lot of thinking in the next few months. In such an uncertain world, it was nice to have something constant to cling on to…

He felt someone tap him on the shoulder and turned to see Beats standing there with an expectant look upon his face. He let Tina go, and was shocked when Beats grabbed him and started to twirl him round the room. Flint and Tina were laughing hysterically at the look of shock on Mike's face. He had to admit though that Beats was actually a very good dancer, and straight as a die, even with his penchant for gay clubs. 'One more dance, then bed,' thought Mike. He was tired, but as Beats passed him on to Flint, he couldn't help but think that this was fun. Tomorrow though was going to be a long day, with the special delivery arriving in just a few hours, and all the hard work that would follow its arrival.

One more dance turned into several, and it was only when Tina could no longer keep her eyes open that they agreed to call it a night. Mike carried his girlfriend to the bedroom, and got her to wake up for long enough to get undressed and into bed. After they had left the room, both Beats and Flint realised that they were every bit as exhausted as she was, and made their way to Nick and Jeff's room - they got their shoes off, but ended up falling asleep, side by side, still fully dressed, on the top of the covers. Mike went to the bathroom, and then, yawning his head off, made his way back to his bed. There was something nagging away in his brain, but sleep overtook him as soon as his head touched the pillow. There was silence in the loft apart from the light snores emanating from Flint.

None of them had noticed in their enjoyment that after she had boiled the milk to make the hot chocolate, Tina had placed the now empty saucepan back on the stove, a tea towel still wrapped round the handle which had been a trifle hot. She had, however, forgotten to turn off the gas, and as a result, as they all drifted into a sound sleep, the pan was becoming hotter and hotter. And slowly, ever so slowly, the tea towel was starting to smoulder….

* * *

Two people had chosen not to take a cab home from the New Yorker as the party had come to an end that night. It was a nice night, apart from the odd shower, and Dave had wanted a breath of fresh air before heading to bed. Sebastian had been only too happy to join him in a walk back across Manhattan to Murray Hill - it was more or less a straight walk along Thirty Fourth Street in any case. It was true to say that the city never slept - even now, after two in the morning, there were still other people walking along the sidewalks, and the traffic was still reasonably heavy. Sebastian was pleased that Dave was now more comfortable at being 'out' in public, and the two of them walked slowly, arm in arm, in companionable silence. They had to pause at the junction with Lexington Avenue to wait for the traffic to pass, but that was never a hardship, as it afforded them a good view of the building that was Sebastian's favourite in the city - the Chrysler Building, lit up high above them. It was as they stood there that Dave announced that he had a sudden desire for Peanut Butter M & Ms, and Chocolate Chip cookies. Sebastian knew that whilst there were several packets of the latter at home - they were both kind of addicted to them, and between them had to their shame got through six large packs one night - but there were none of the former. There ahead of them, on the corner of Third Avenue, was a 24 hour branch of Duane Reed. It would take them a moment at this time of night to step in and pick up the candy Dave craved.

As always in these cases, once they got inside it took them far longer than they had anticipated. Once he was faced with the display of M & Ms, Dave couldn't decide if he really wanted the Peanut Butter, or the Pretzel. After several minutes of his internal debate, Sebastian grabbed a pack of both, and a pack of Chips Ahoy! Then when they got to the register, they found that there was a lady there who was having a debate with the cashier over which was the best brand of cough syrup. This discussion kept on going, and two minutes later, there was still no resolution. Sebastian sighed inwardly, and looked around the store. It was then he noticed the empty shelf with a label proclaiming a special on Cream Soda. Just reading those words gave him a craving for a glass of the vanilla flavoured drink.

"I'm going to go and grab a bottle of soda," said Sebastian. "Stay here and I'll be right back."

Dave nodded, rolling his eyes as a third brand now entered the fray in the conversation ahead of them. Sebastian could only smirk as he headed further into the store and entered the soda aisle, which was just out of direct sight of the cash desk. He had just entered it when he heard the door open to admit another customer. 'Hope you aren't in a hurry,' he thought, as he grabbed the bottle of special offer soda from the shelf.

It was then he heard the screams - and the voice shouting. His blood suddenly ran cold as he heard the words "Gimme the cash!" He crept back to the end of the aisle, to where he could see the cash desk. There he could see the two women cowering as a young man with a gun demanded that the clerk open the register. What concerned him the most was the fact that he couldn't see Dave. Then he spotted the two packets of M & Ms and the cookies on the floor. His heart stopped for a moment. 'No Seb, you didn't hear a bang. He hasn't shot him…' a little voice in his head reassured him.

The gunman was getting more and more agitated; then he uttered the words that Sebastian dreaded. "You've got thirty seconds, then I shoot her. You know that I'll do it. I've already knocked him to the floor, so I will do it. So gimme the God damn money!"

The clerk was desperately trying to get the register open, but it didn't help that she was panic stricken. The woman customer was frozen in place, staring at the gun that was pointing right at her head.

Sebastian knew that he had to do something. He had to intervene. If he turned the gun on the woman, then his Dave would no doubt be next in line. He couldn't live with the guilt if anything happened to either of them and he had just hidden away. But he couldn't just walk out nonchalantly, or could he? Maybe that was exactly what he had to do. He would either wind up getting shot, or hopefully, would so surprise the gunman it would give them all a chance of getting out of this alive. He knew the cashier would have triggered a silent alarm, so all he had to do was buy time until the cops arrived. He had no option. With a quick and silent prayer to a God he barely believed in, he stepped out from the aisle and walked towards the counter, a bottle of soda clutched to his chest.

* * *

In the newer of the Bushwick lofts, everything was quiet. Burt and Carole had left the reception just after midnight, and were in bed fast asleep when the young people arrived back. They were all respectfully quiet as a result, wishing each other a good night in the hallway. Sam and Rachel kissed goodnight, then separated - Sam to the camp bed in the study and Rachel to her room upstairs. It was still early days for their relationship, and both of them were happy to wait for the time to be right before they took things any further. Santana and Brittany both made their way to the former's room, both more than happy to be forced to share a bed. Puck and Quinn paused to wish the newly engaged Trent and Rory good luck one more time, then headed off together to Brittany's room. Sam's room was the destination for the final two, who kissed almost as soon as they had the door closed.

"I still can't believe that we are actually engaged," said Rory quietly, his head on Trent's shoulder.

"Well we are, my darling. I can't believe that we both decided that tonight would be a good one to propose. When did you even get the ring?"

"In Dublin. Remember when I went off with Jeff so he could draw me at the Leprechaun Museum? That was when I got it - you had just dealt with my mother for me and I knew it was time…"

Trent laughed, and Rory looked at him curiously. "The only reason that Jeff took you off to draw that day was so that Nick and I could go and get a ring for you. And if you want even more strange coincidences, look at the jeweller's name on the box…"

Rory looked, and started to giggle. "We bought them at the same place. It does explain one thing though. The saleswoman asked me who it was for, and I thought, just be honest, Rory, so I told her it was for my boyfriend. She looked at me so oddly when I said it…"

"Let me guess - she had dyed bright red hair and pale green eyes?" said Trent.

"Yeah, we even bought them from the same assistant," said Rory with a laugh.

They stood and smiled at each other for a moment, then carried on getting ready for bed. They were both still wide awake, what with all the adrenaline that was pumping through their veins. It had been a big day - two of their best friends were married now; had committed to each other for the rest of their lives. They had sung and danced in celebration, and had then made the same room cheer with joy when they too had pledged themselves to each other. Both knew that had it not been for the actions of Hunter, then it might have been years before they finally met again, if at all. Neither of them had felt as happy in their life as they did now. Trent knew too that all of his friends were equally happy for him; Sebastian had hugged him for such a long time, before he had felt obliged to whisper "You next" in his ear - to his surprise, there was no sarcastic response. As for Wes, he had been close to tears - what he had said had warmed Trent's heart. "Know this now - I am so happy for you, my little Robin."

Before heading into bed, Trent plugged his cellphone into the socket to charge. He had not noticed that the cable had frayed from all the times the charger had been packed into a tight space in a bag, and now the casing had finally split, exposing the bare wires underneath. As he switched the socket on, Rory spoke, and so he did not hear the crackle as the power entered the wires, and made the whole thing live. He climbed into bed beside Rory, unaware that he had created a lethal time bomb in his bedroom…

 _TBC Tomorrow_


	24. Botanical Enemy

_So many Warblers at risk - so let us go back to two..._

 **Botanical Enemy**

He would later say that he did not know what woke him up that night. Whether there was some sort of angelic intervention; a moment in a forgotten dream which scared him into wakefulness, or if it was actually the screaming from the room next door. Whatever it was, Ethan Mackenzie found himself lying half awake in his bed in the New Yorker, but he stayed that way for only a moment. Because as his brain cleared he heard the noise from the room next door. The increasingly frantic screaming from the next room. The screams for help, interspersed with the word Nicky. And he sat bolt upright in the bed as a voice he recognised as Jeff's screamed "Help! Please, someone, please help!"

He was out of the bed and darting across the room in the general direction of the door in seconds. In the dark, he stumbled and fell straight on to Drew's bed, hitting it with enough force to wake his friend. After a moment of confusion, Ethan was up again, and back on course - Drew followed him instinctively. After all, there had to be a good reason why he had just jumped on top of him in the middle of the night. The two of them charged into the hallway, clad only in their sleep shorts and ran straight up to the door of the honeymoon suite. Through the door they could hear that Jeff's screams had turned into aching sobs, his voice now hoarse.

"Jeff, open the door… It's Ethan and Drew. Jeff? Please…" said Ethan, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

"I can't move…. It's Nicky….he can't breathe…he's…" Jeff replied, before his sobs overwhelmed him once again.

Ethan and Drew looked at each other and knew what they had to do. They stepped back and ran at the door together, shouldering it. It shuddered, but did not move. Undeterred, they did it again, and this time they both felt a slight give. On the third time, the door gave, opening wide and spilled some light into the dark room. In the dim light from the hallway, Ethan made his way over towards the dim outline of the bed; as he got closer he could hear Jeff's aching sobs, his whispered entreaties to Nick. But from him there was nothing, and for one horrible moment, Ethan thought that Jeff had become a widower less than a day after he had married. Then he heard a rattling gasp for air - it didn't sound good, but it meant that Nick was alive - so far.

Meanwhile, Drew was struggling to find the light switch, trying with a brain still muddled with sleep to remember where the main switch was in his room next door. As he found it, a new reality hit him - to switch the lights on, the key card had to be in the holder, and it was empty. Cursing, he looked around, and then saw a white rectangle on the floor. The card that Nick had tried to insert as he was carried into the room by Jeff still lay exactly where it had fallen. Drew grabbed it, and slammed it into the slot in the holder. The lights in the room immediately came on. There was Ethan by the bed, desperately trying to find out what was wrong with Nick, whose face was a horrible shade of purplish blue. Jeff was clutching at him, sobbing his heart out, begging him not to die, because he couldn't live without him.

And then he saw them….dozens of them - and a memory of a Christmas at Dalton nearly four years ago came back to his mind…

 _It had been Kurt's one and only Christmas as a Warbler. The senior commons had been resplendent in its decoration - all twinkling lights, holly and ivy, and the old, well loved statues of the three choristers had been sat by the fireplace. Kurt he recalled had been overjoyed with the classic nature of it all. He had felt however that there was something missing, and he had remedied that by bringing one with him the following day. A poinsettia plant. He had placed it on the table first thing, ready for rehearsal that afternoon._

 _The last to arrive that day had been Nick and Trent - thus they missed Wes staring at the sudden invasion of foliage on the council table, examining it as if it was a triffid. They had begun rehearsal as usual, but with a couple of minutes they had been forced to stop. Nick was gasping for breath, and his hand was pointing shakily at the plant. Jeff had helped him out of the room, his face white with concern, and after a few seconds in the corridor, his breathing improved. He had been able to tell him what was wrong - happy he was ok, Jeff had returned to the room at speed, grabbed the plant off the council table, and before anyone could say a word, had opened a window and hurled it out. Then, before an indignant Kurt or a flummoxed Wes could speak, he told them why._

" _Nick has an allergy to latex. It can make things difficult for him, but he has learnt to live with it - he takes precautions, like bringing his own gloves to science classes. Not many people know about it though - I would say I am his best friend, and I didn't know until he told me just now. The thing is, there are certain plants which release spores which are similar to the allergens in latex. One of them is the poinsettia. The effects of that are what we all just witnessed. I don't know who brought it in, but they couldn't have known that it would cause this. Nick wants us all to keep this a secret amongst ourselves - and he says that once it is out of the room, he will be alright again…"_

 _As if on cue, at that moment Nick walked back through the door, and apart from his tie and collar being loose, he looked just as he normally did. He smiled at them all, and then noticed that Kurt had tears in his eyes. He went to sit next to him, and put an arm around him. "It was you, wasn't it? It's ok, you didn't know. So, no guilt and still friends?" Kurt sniffed and nodded…_

Drew came back to the present. If that one plant in the senior commons at Dalton had that effect on Nick, then the dozens in the room would doubtless be the cause of his breathlessness now. With no lights on, Nick and Jeff would have been unaware of their presence. He knew what they had to do - they had to get Nick out of the room and now. "Ethan, it's the plants! Behind you…we need to get him out of here, and now!"

Drew watched as his friend's head spun round, and on seeing them, his eyes widened dramatically. Then he was swearing, and desperately attempting to lift Nick up. He found the task impossible between Nick's now almost rigid body and a hysterical Jeff. He had no choice. He lifted his hand and slapped Jeff on the face, stunning the boy. "Jeff, Jeff, JEFF! FOCUS! The room is full of POINSETTIA plants! If we get Nick out of here, then he should be ok. But you need to focus and help me and Drew get him out of here. We have to move him, and we have to do it NOW!"

Jeff's initial reaction to the slap had been to contemplate slapping Ethan right back. But at the word poinsettia, all was forgotten. Jeff stopped crying and with a supreme effort, managed to untangle his legs from Nick's. Still with his hand held in a tight grip by Nick, he began to help Ethan in their task. They pulled Nick up into a sitting position, then dragged him across the bed. They then began to try and get him on his feet, and there, they hit another snag. There was no way he was going to be able to walk…

Nick Sterling-Duval was lost in his own head. As his throat had begun to constrict, as each breath had become shallower and more difficult to get, he had become more and more frantic by the second, particularly as he was unable to talk. He had been married for a little over twelve hours - he was not ready to die, to leave Jeff. It seemed that fate had other ideas though. As Jeff screamed for help by his side, Nick realised that his hands had clamped shut and were no longer responding; his legs were moving all on their own as if he was fitting; all Nick could think was 'Blaine has a big collection to make today - is it me? I'm not ready for this, please not me. Not me….' He realised that Ethan was there now, and suddenly the room was filled with light. He glanced across the room, away from the door, and that was when he saw them. His botanical enemy. To his relief, although he could hear nothing but the sound of his own barely there breathing, he was suddenly being pulled across the bed. He knew that there was no hope of him standing, but he could do nothing apart from stare ahead, catching sight of Drew for the first time as he did. Somehow, Drew knew that he was tired out, that his legs would not support him. He saw him grabbing at his feet, and heard him shout at the others to lift him up. As he was lifted, he knew that this time there would be no stumbling. As he was carried towards the hallway, he suddenly thought to himself that he had never even set a foot on the carpet in the honeymoon suite. He wouldn't now. They were in the hall now, away from the open door, and he was being set down so gently on the floor, as a shaking, tear stained Jeff gently cradled his head on his lap…

"He's got to be ok. He has to be. I need you Nicky. I can't do this without you - I'm too broken. You are the glue that holds me together. Just breathe for me, Nicky. Please, just breathe…."

As Jeff sat on the floor, his husband lying by his side, the duty manager of the hotel appeared and surveyed the scene. The door to the honeymoon suite broken open. The young newlyweds, still in their suits, one purple in the face, the other in tears. By their side, two of their guests in night clothes, both with tears in their eyes, and looking so angry. Something big had happened here, and he was about to find out what.

It was Ethan that approached him first, trying his best to stay civilised and conciliatory in his nightwear. "He was choking; he had Jeff held so tight that he couldn't move to open the door. We couldn't afford to wait for someone to arrive with the master key card to open the door properly. We will pay for the damage - we just had to get in. He couldn't breathe…he was dying…" Ethan suddenly tailed off, conscious that his eyes were starting to fill up with tears as the gravity of the situation hit him. They had just saved Nick's life, and probably Jeff's. If he hadn't woken up, if they had been a minute later in getting there… He was standing by Nick and Jeff now, and he felt himself slump down the wall, until he was sat next to Jeff. Nick's face was a bright red now, his breathing improving. Instinctively Ethan reached out to take Nick's hand and hold it tight; he placed his other arm around Jeff's shoulder. He felt the younger boy lean against him, as tears fell down both their cheeks. He looked up and saw that Drew was ready to explode. He had seen his friend really angry only a few times in all the years they had known each other, but this was going to be one of them. He could understand why. He just hoped that he would be as civil as possible.

"Yes, we will happily pay for the minor damage to the door, but maybe you could explain the presence of one thing - dozens of poinsettia plants. Is it standard practice for the New Yorker Hotel to fill the honeymoon suite with enough greenery that it resembles a jungle?"

"Well, no. The day manager told me about it - it was a florists' delivery. He had all the bellboys complaining about having to carry 73 pot plants up to one room. He thought it might be some kind of practical joke."

"A joke! So, given how bizarre the delivery was, nobody thought that they should immediately check with someone to see if we knew about it, particularly given the ongoing situation with Gordon Clarington?" The moment he said those words, Drew knew that he had just let slip a massive secret. The look he got from Jeff, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head, made him think 'Oh, well done!' Unperturbed, he carried on. "Those plants emit spores - if someone has a latex allergy, one plant causes an issue. Guess what? Nick has a latex allergy, and that," he said, pointing at Nick, "is the consequence of being exposed to the spores from 73 plants! I am not exaggerating when I say he was possibly moments away from death. Now, I am a reasonable person - you didn't know, how could you have done. But why did no-one approach us to ask if it was ok, if it was planned? That is something that the police will want to know when they get here because we will be telling them. Because that was no accident or prank - that was an attempt to kill Nick!"

From his position on the floor, Jeff felt a wave of coldness pass through him the moment that Drew mentioned his father's name. He turned to Ethan, who was looking daggers at Drew. "What does he mean?" Jeff whispered.

Ethan sighed. "Your father escaped from prison two days ago. They think he was heading to New York, because he had heard about the wedding. Everyone else knew, and we all agreed not to tell you so as not to spoil your day."

"That kind of explains why everyone jumped when Nick's dad burst in. Why can't he just leave us alone…." Jeff turned back to look at his husband. Once again, his family was trying to turn their lives upside down. His brother had branded Nick; his father had already punched him to the floor, and now he had tried to kill him by the most bizarre method possible. There was little he could do to protect his husband from the monster that had helped create him. He also knew that Nick would never leave him, never desert him. It would have been better if they had never met; if the Duval's had stayed in Illinois; if his mother had got him away to Vermont. But what had happened could not be altered in any way. To be honest, he didn't want it to be. He looked down at the man whose head was cradled in his lap, his face now merely a bright pink, his breathing more or less normal; just the slightest rasp with each breath now. Those beautiful eyes staring back up at him, filled with love. His husband was almost recovered.

"This isn't your fault Jeffie. You couldn't have known that he would do something so wicked like this. I thought that I was going to die - I admit it. I thought that I was leaving you and it was far too soon. But I was saved by our friends. We were saved. I love you so much, and whatever happens that won't change. I will love you every day for the rest of my life," Nick whispered, his sore throat making his voice husky.

Above him, Jeff nodded, and whispered "I love you too, Mr Sterling-Duval. I love you too."

The next hour was a blur for the Sterling-Duvals. The police were already at the hotel, watching for any attempt by Gordon to enter. They had thought nothing of the florists van when it arrived - after all, flowers are delivered to hotels all the time. They had no reason to suspect that the contents of that van were to be used in a murder attempt. The delivery invoice was found; as a result, a florist was woken up in the early hours of the morning. The plants had been paid for by a MasterCard in the name of Hunter Clarington. The florist had thought that the order was a bit strange, that it would be difficult to fulfil an order for such a festive plant at the wrong time of year - but after a couple of calls to suppliers, she had chanced on one that had some in stock. Even so, she had been unable to supply enough to cover the actual order of 100 plants. The fact that the card was in Hunter's name just confirmed what they had all already suspected. They had been sent by Jeff's birth father - he after all would have had the same kind of access to the files at Dalton as Hunter had - and written in Nick's file were the details of his allergy, just in case.

As for Nick, he had been checked out by the hotel's on call doctor, despite Nick's assertion that he was perfectly alright now. Jeff had begged him, and that was it - he had agreed after refusing the hotel staff, Ethan and Drew for a good ten minutes. It turned out of course that Nick was right - now that he was away from the plants and their spores, all of his vital signs had returned to normal; his breathing was even; and his throat was no longer swollen, although it did remain red - but that was nothing that a few pastilles wouldn't resolve. Deep down, Nick knew, as did everyone else, that it had been a very near thing that night - a few more minutes of delay, and it could have been a very different outcome.

There had been many questions after the event - some easy to answer, others far less so. Drew, after speaking to the police had wanted to call Wes; Burt Hummel; even Puck or David for advice, the advantage of the latter being that he was sleeping on the floor below. Nick had told him not to - there wasn't anything they could do. Wes was on a train en route to Boston - he had an important appointment the next day, and if they called him, he would jump off the train and head back. Nick didn't want to destroy his plans. As for the others, they would all be sound asleep by now. What had happened had happened - now it was over, and they could deal with it themselves. The others had to agree that he had a point.

So on the floor below, David slept on, unaware of Nick's brush with death, and of the fact that the other bed in the room was still not occupied by Thad, as it should have been. There was only the issue of where Nick and Jeff should sleep now left to resolve. The honeymoon suite was a no-no, due to the threat of lingering spores and the fact that the room now felt tainted. The solution was obvious to Ethan.

"You two take our room. We will see that all the plants are removed and then we will take yours, no arguments"

Drew nodded in agreement, and the two of them refused to accept any discussion with the newlyweds. With a round of hugs, they changed rooms. Instead of the luxury of the king sized bed, Nick and Jeff curled up together in the one queen next door. They were fast asleep in minutes, both of them tired out by the dramas of the night. Once the plants had been removed, Ethan and Drew found themselves crawling into opposite sides of the big bed. They also fell asleep quickly, in a room that was once again pitch black.

It was possibly unfortunate that Ethan had dyed his hair blond and styled it like Jeff's now - after all, to anyone entering the room, he would now, without closer inspection, look exactly like the younger man….

 _Well, I couldn't kill Nick, could I? Because if I had, Jeff would have been minutes behind him, killed by a broken heart.  
_ _But saving him has ended up putting someone else in the firing line...  
TBC Tomorrow.._


	25. Burning

_Will Ethan regret his new hairstyle? In the meantime, will Niff have a home to go back to?_

 **Burning**

In Bushwick, Flint and Beats slept soundly in Nick and Jeff's bed. In the room next door, Tina slept just as well. Something, however, was keeping Mike from dozing off too well. He had always been quite a light sleeper, and tonight was no exception to the rule. He kept waking up, with the nagging sensation that he had left something vital undone. He tried hard to remember what it was, but kept coming up with a blank and then falling into a light sleep - and then the pattern repeated. It was at around 3.30 that he woke and heard a little voice in his head again. He sighed, and took a deep breath…and got a whiff of something acrid. Smoke. He could smell smoke. He slowly climbed out of bed to go and investigate, moving softly so as not to disturb Tina. As he moved towards the door, the smell was growing stronger by the second. He forced himself not to panic as his mind began to draw the worst possible conclusions. He opened the door that lead to the hall, checking the door handle to see that it was cool subconsciously. He was greeted by the most horrible of sights, a cloud of smoke drifting along the ceiling above him. Now he could begin to stress. The smoke was inside the loft. He made his way quickly towards the front door, but as he passed by the living area, he stopped and froze in horror. The smoke was coming from the kitchen. There was a faint orange glow.

And then it hit him. The milk pan. He didn't think that they had turned the heat off under the milk pan...

He was disturbed from what amounted to virtual paralysis from fear by the sound of something shattering. Mike could only assume that it was one of the mugs that they had drunk their hot chocolate from, giving up the fight against the heat from the fire. 'A fire which will be growing the longer that you stand here and do nothing about it, Michael!' said a voice in his head, which sounded a heck of a lot like Kurt. He cautiously made his way into the kitchen, where his fears were confirmed. The top of the stove was engulfed in flames - and Mike quickly realised that the tea towel that Tina had used on the hot handle of the saucepan was the start of the blaze. The metal pot itself was untouched in a sea of flame - it was the materials around the stove that had combusted, from the rubber mat on the adjacent sink drainer to the wooden shelves above the stove itself.

He knew he had to act quickly to stop the fire from spreading to the wall cupboards and worse still, the linoleum on the floor. He rushed over to the sink and turned on both taps to get water to extinguish the fire, and then realised something. The gas was still on, and that was the main fuel for the fire. He had to turn the gas off first if he was to have any hope of putting out the fire. Problem was, he had no idea where the main gas shut off valve in the loft was, and worse yet, the stove's controls were behind what was rapidly becoming a small inferno.

He knew what he had to do; there was to be frank no other option. He had to reach through the flames to turn off the gas supply , and only then could he hope to extinguish the fire. At that point he heard coughing, either Flint or Beats. He could use their help, but it would be too late if they didn't come soon. He started yelling "FIRE!" at the top of his voice, whilst simultaneous plunging another tea towel into the water that was building up in the sink. He heard footsteps, slow at first and then breaking into a run as he wrapped the now sodden towel around his forearm; as he heard a cry of "Holy Hell!", he reached through the flames for the control knob. It was far stiffer than he remembered - possibly it was partially melted by the heat which he could feel starting to singe his eyebrows. He strained to turn the knob, and then it moved, slowly but surely, allowing him to turn off the gas fully. The job done, he pulled his arm back - and then he started to feel the pain. He looked down at his arm, and saw that the tea towel wrapped around it was now on fire. He heard a horrified scream and realised that Tina had now appeared. As he staggered away from the stove, leaving Flint to throw water over the top of it. Beats suddenly appeared with a fire extinguisher - all Mike could wonder was where had he found it. Nick and Jeff must have had one, but in all the excitement of the wedding, he had never been told where it was. He clawed at the blazing towel, and succeeded in pulling it off. It was at once being doused in water by Tina - content that she had put it out, she grabbed Mike and dragged him from the kitchen into the bathroom. She switched on the shower, ensuring that the water was running cold, and then thrust Mike's arm underneath it. The sensation of the icy cold water on his arm made Mike gasp, but he knew he had to hold it there.

The biggest shock of all was just how calm Tina was. He would have anticipated that she would be hysterical, but instead she was cool and in control. Telling him not to move, she left the bathroom and ran back to the bedroom, where she picked up her phone and dialled Carole. It took a while for her call to be answered, but eventually it was. After a short explanation, she hung up, made her way to the door and let Carole and Burt in. Whilst Carole accompanied Tina to the bathroom, Burt made his way into the kitchen to assess the damage. The flames had by now been extinguished, and Beats had opened the windows to let the worst of the smoke escape.

The stove was a mess, but it was still serviceable. If it was cleaned up, no-one would ever know what had happened. The rubber draining mat was however a molten mess, with the remnants of several mugs mixed up in it. The shelves would have to go - the items on them would have to be removed quickly before they collapsed. The brickwork would also need a good clean. But it could have been so much worse. If Mike had not woken up - well the consequences could have been unthinkable. There could quite easily have been deaths…

In the bathroom, Carole was removing a few stray pieces of burnt fabric from the burn on Mike's arm. He was silent, keeping the pain he was feeling inside, because he knew that the moment he showed any sign of the pain he was in, Tina would fall apart. "I had to switch the gas off Carole. It was fuelling the fire, but the only way I could do it was…"

"You did the right thing with the tea towel. If you hadn't done that, your burns would have been much worse; in fact, we would probably be taking you to hospital right now. As it is, it is going to hurt for a while, and will need to be treated with care, but it will heal and shouldn't scar. That is largely down to whoever got you under the cold water so quickly, and I know exactly who is responsible for that," said Carole, smiling at Tina as she said those last words.

Tina however had realised the truth about what had happened. "It's all my fault though, isn't it Mike? I left the gas on, and put the pan back on the heat. I left the towel wrapped around the handle…" Tina stopped, and started to cry.

"Yes, you did, but none of us checked it before we went to bed, did we? We are all to blame for this, not just you…" Mike beckoned Tina over to him, and held her with his unburnt arm as she cried on his shoulder. Carole meanwhile carried on doing what she needed to do to the burn. That he had come off so lightly was a miracle…

In the kitchen, Beats and Flint had removed the contents that could be saved from the now charred and burnt shelves above the stove. Burt had found the dustbin, and had carefully placed the shattered mugs and the melted rubber mat into it. He turned to look at the two young men, both of whom looked horrified at the damage. "It will clean up. The knobs on the stove will need to be replaced, but that is a job for later."

"That is true," said Flint, "but we could start cleaning what we can now."

Beats nodded, and started to hunt for cleaning materials. By the time Carole emerged from the bathroom with Mike and Tina, the two boys were scrubbing at the stove and the wall behind it. Tina hurried over to join them, muttering how they could not have Nick and Jeff coming home to find the place in a mess. Burt went to have a talk with Mike, for whom the full impact of what had happened was now hitting home. If he hadn't woken up, then the chances were that he would not be standing there right now. None of them would. He resolved there and then that he would check everything in the loft every night from now on before going to bed. He could only imagine what Nick and Jeff were going to say when they got home and saw that on the first night they had left him alone and in charge of the loft, he had nearly burnt the place down. Some roommate….

Burt only had to take one look at the sadness on his face to know what Mike was thinking. "Accidents happen, Mike. Ok, you should have checked the gas was off. You shouldn't have left a towel wrapped around the handle. The thing is, it has happened, and if I know those two boys, they will just be glad that none of you are seriously hurt. They will be absolutely devastated that you did get burnt. Blame themselves for not checking that the smoke detectors were working, and for not showing you where the gas shut off valve is. The only casualties here are four mugs, a rubber mat, two tea towels and some shelves. They can be replaced - the four of you couldn't be…."

Mike nodded, and allowed Burt to pull him in for a hug. He was a father figure to them all, had been from the start. They might have lost Finn and Kurt, but they had retained Burt and Carole. And then there was Cooper - he was not as much of a comfort, but he was wise in his own way, and boy, had he changed since Blaine died. He looked over to the kitchen, where Beats and Flint had removed the blackened shelves and were now scrubbing the metal brackets. Later that day they would have to find a store that sold wood, and hopefully a stockist of the red gingham stick on plastic that had covered the burnt ones. Make thing as near to normal as they possibly could. Not of course that they could ever deny that the fire had taken place - Mike's arm was clear evidence of that…

 _So another four are out of the woods, but the danger is still there..._

 _TBC Tomorrow_


	26. Waiting for the bang…

_Meanwhile, back on East 34th..._

 **Waiting for the bang…**

Sebastian Smythe had never been one to shy away from anything. He had always been to the front, full of self confidence and bravado. It was like a defence mechanism - a way to protect himself against the problems that his life had thrown him.

He hadn't always been like that. Right up until the time that he reached middle school, he had been the shy quiet kid that was desperately trying not to draw attention to himself. His gangly body, his love of singing and his sexuality were all things he tried to hide. It had been so easy to do then.

But then, suddenly, his world had fallen apart. He had spent nights listening to his parents screaming at each other as their marriage fell apart. That had initially seen him sent to the relative peace of Dalton Academy. He was thrust into this new world, and it scared him. No parents, just other boys. As a defence he went from quiet and shy to being a bit of an ass. He became a player, and like a kid in a candy store, he took up the offers that he was made when his sexuality became common knowledge.

He had just got used to it, and was actually enjoying life when in the space of a couple of days he was removed from Dalton and transferred to Paris, thousands of miles away, with his mother. He had rebelled almost from the first, mainly by going out every night and getting totally trashed - and well, after the trial, everyone knew the rest. He had then come back to Dalton and had acted like a cocky idiot. Then people started getting hurt, and he found himself feeling more and more guilty. So he began to change back - it was a painful process (see the scars on his back) but in the end, the pain he felt lessened, and by the time he had helped Blaine to propose to Kurt, he had come to terms with it, more or less. Just the occasional niggle now and then.

When he had heard that Kurt had died, it was like everything had gone to hell all over again - and when Blaine followed, it nearly sent him over the edge once and for all. He had recovered with the help of the Warblers, and had turned his back on the life he had been trying to start in London. In doing so, he had gained new friends amongst the New Directions, as his good side began to show. Then he had finally sat down with Dave and they had decided to give things a go as boyfriends. In Dave, he had finally found someone that loved him, cared for him and most importantly of all, tolerated him - mainly because Dave had a similar history. He cared for the big guy as much as he was cared for. With Dave by his side, he felt invincible again, like he could face anything…

So that was how he could walk out of the relative safety of the soda aisle at Duane Reed's, as if he wasn't aware that a madman with a gun was standing at the cash desk. He had to try and protect Dave, because if he lost him, it would destroy him. He couldn't do that if he hid away. He tried to act as nonchalantly as possible, in an attempt to hide the fact that he was scared half to death. "So, got the soda - I told you that there would be some in the soda aisle… Dave? Where are you?" He looked around as if he could not see the gunman, who was staring right at him as if he was mad. He made his way right over to the desk, and there, lying on the floor with his eyes closed was his Dave. He took a deep breath, the little voice in his head saying 'Keep Calm'.

"Dave, what are you doing? You can't sleep on the floor in Duane Reed! Did he fall over? I told him that he'd had too much to drink at the wedding, but he never listens…" He placed the bottle of soda on the counter, where the incredulous cashier was just staring at him in horror, and then knelt down next to Dave. He quickly checked his pulse and his breathing, both of which were normal. He placed a gentle hand on his boyfriend's forehead, and to his surprise, Dave's eyes flickered open. At first they were smiling, and then everything flooded back to him. "Don't move," Sebastian whispered in his ear, "I've got it under control. Just stay put, please… I'm trying to buy us time." As he said it, Sebastian really did hope that he knew what he was doing.

He left Dave, and went to pick up the two bags of M & Ms and the cookies, placing them on the counter next to the bottle of Cream Soda. As an afterthought, he proceeded to pick up a large bar of chocolate for himself. Then he turned back towards the gunman, and looked right over his shoulder at the other customer, and behind her, East 34th Street. "So, did you decide on which cough syrup you would take? I know that a lot of people like Delsym, and I think that it is highly respected by a lot of pharmacists, but speaking from personal experience, I have always thought that Robitussin has the edge. I read somewhere that it is recommended by doctors, and that to me is the important thing." The dazed woman nodded, wondering all the time if she was in the presence of two madmen, one with a gun, and the other with a large bottle of cream soda and several screws loose. The only good thing from her perspective was that his actions had taken the heat off her - the gun was now pointed directly at Sebastian's head.

"Are you some kind of crazy man?" The question was short and most probably intended to be rhetorical. Before he could be given a reply, the gunman went on. "Or are you just some kind of blind, rich, preppy idiot, who thinks naively that I won't use this gun if I am provoked? Because trust me, I will. I will kill all four of you right now if she doesn't open the damned register and give me the money. And the first bullet, that will be for your jock boyfriend, preppy boy. I will make you watch whilst I blow his brains out. Then it will be your turn. So shut up, and pray that she gets me the money now!"

"Actually, I won't shut up. Yes, I went to a prep school. Yes, I have money, largely due to the fact that a very good and wonderful friend of mine was murdered, and his fiancé, devastated by his loss, killed himself with a gun, a lot like that one. He was the smart one that had invested in mobile tech - he divided his money up amongst his friends so that his grasping parents couldn't get their hands on it."

"My heart bleeds for you all - so the guy had it tough, big deal. None of you have ever suffered like me. None of you have ever been through half the shit I have."

"And what would that be? Parental divorce? Had that one thrust on me four years ago, after having had to sit and listen to them shout and scream at each other every night for months. Dragged away from all my friends and moved halfway around the world by my loving mother. I fell in with a 'bad crowd' and ended up in a lot of trouble with the cops. Returned to my father and his new girlfriend with a nice STD - he didn't want me around, so he packed me off back to boarding school….where things got worse. Was such a selfish brat that I nearly blinded someone in junior year, then said something that lead to someone attempting suicide. My senior year, I excelled myself and ended up being blackmailed into taking steroids - and God, did I pay a price for that. So, yeah, on balance, I'd say I'd had it pretty good - Not!"

Before the gunman could respond, Sebastian carried on, his eyes now wild and his voice raised. "So yeah, I paid for it. I was whipped by the guy that had been blackmailing me. He whipped me so hard that my back is permanently scarred. He actually branded two of my best friends with hot pokers before I finally had the guts to stand up and expose everything that was going on. One of them ended up having a nervous breakdown; the other one realised after all of it that he loved him - so yeah, something good came out it - it was their wedding we were at."

"Unfortunately, that is where the good news stopped. Remember that friend of mine that was murdered? Guess who did it? It destroyed our whole world, and we were left with the task of rebuilding everything from the ashes. We've done ok, and I have personally turned my life right round. I'd like to keep it going that way, but hey, if this is it; if this is the night that my life ends, in a drug store on East 34th Street, then so be it. I have been happy for a little while. Kill me, kill Dave - you will end up being caught in the end - there are too many cameras around here for you to escape. A wise man once said to me, there is no problem in life that is so great that you cannot overcome it. What you are doing is not the way to overcome your life's problems, in my own humble opinion. But hey, you are the one in charge, not me. If you are going to kill me, then let's just get it over with…"

Sebastian was suddenly aware that behind him, Dave had now struggled to his feet. "Guess this is it, 'Bastian. It's been good, you and me. The last few months have been the best of my life. God, I've been to Europe. I've seen the Berlin Wall, the Mona Lisa, the British Crown Jewels. I've danced, sung and loved. All the shit, it was finally behind us. Guess we will be getting our wings tonight. You must be Blaine's big collection…." Dave stopped, and smiled. "Wonder if it will be Finn or Kurt that comes for me? Whichever - I am ready. Let's go out fighting, eh. You know, I was going to ask you the same question Trent and Rory asked each other earlier - maybe not tonight, but soon…"

"I'd have said yes," Sebastian replied, a broad smile on his face. "No doubt about it. It would have been a resounding yes."

"Oh, how very touching…but it won't save you," said the gunman with a sneer. "You are both about to die, so might I suggest that you get all the slushy stuff over with right now. I'll give you 30 seconds, then you die. And if you don't get the register open right after that, the two of you die next…"

Sebastian pulled Dave into a kiss, all the while crossing his fingers. He had taken a huge risk, and he hoped that he had called it right….

 _Don't you love a cliffhanger...  
TBC Tomorrow.  
_


	27. Childhood Memory

**Childhood Memory**

Dave Karofsky would later admit that those 30 seconds that he had spent kissing Sebastian in Duane Reed had been the most terrifying moments of his life so far. It had been worse than when he had been standing on a chair in his own bedroom closet, a belt around his neck, the other end of it secured to a beam. He waited for the bang as he felt his 'Bastian's lips on his, and held him close to him, tightly in his arms. It usually made him feel so safe and so secure, but this time it made him feel loved. He knew that whatever the outcome, he was loved. He closed his eyes tight, and prayed that it would be quick….

But there was no bang, just a click.

And another click moments later.

Then Dave felt Sebastian pull away, and he opened his eyes. The store was flooded with red and blue flashing lights, showing the gunman fighting with his gun. But it was too late - in the nick of time, the NYPD, summoned by a silent alarm, had arrived. The cops swarmed in, guns drawn, grabbing the gunman and ordering everyone else down on the ground. With gratitude, Dave sank down onto the ground once more, this time lying there with Sebastian, his hands instinctively on his head. He was so relieved it was all he could do not to burst into tears.

Sebastian was just grateful that his gamble had paid off. He turned towards Dave, and spoke, just loud enough to be audible amongst the hubbub of police. "It was the same gun. The same gun as my dad owned. The same gun that Blaine's dad owned. My dad showed me his gun when I was about twelve - I think he had some idea that we could bond if he took me to his gun club and taught me how to shoot it. It wasn't my idea of fun, and it never happened anyway. Probably just as well, as somebody told me that Gordon Clarington was a member, and we all know what he thinks about gay sons… But he still showed me the details of that gun, though I paid scant attention if I am honest. But there was one thing that came back to me as I watched from the soda aisle. I wasn't 100% certain, but it was worth a shot, particularly as our young friend hadn't realised his error. He still had the safety catch on. He could point the gun at us, and try to fire it. But with that catch on, it would never work. So I decided to buy us all some time. I played on my hunch, and took a high stakes gamble. It worked, and it gave us the time we needed to let the cops get here…"

"What if you had got it wrong, Sebastian? What if the safety catch hadn't been on?"

"Then you and I would have died, side by side, just like Kurt and Blaine were supposed to. I'm going to be honest here - there was a big part of me that wanted to stay in the soda aisle; that wanted to creep back along it and then cut through the other aisles to the far end of the store. I mean, what sane person risks their own life? But then I saw those bags of M & M's lying on the floor and I thought, how would I live with myself if he kills my Dave? Could I live with the knowledge that I could have saved you, but because I took the cowards way out, I didn't? I just couldn't do it. I guess I am too much in love with you for that. So, if you were serious…. Dave Karofsky, will you do me the honour of marrying me? I know that I am hardly the easiest guy in the world to get on with, and I have a multitude of flaws, but I do love you with all my heart and soul. You know something, you are largely responsible for starting the changes in me that have turned me back into a reasonably decent human being that actually cares about other people. So marry me, Dave…"

"I should really hate you so much right now, because you have just stolen my thunder, Smythe. But how can I hate the guy that did a darn foolish and stupid thing to save my life? A guy who was willing to die if it meant he could save me? So the answer is yeah, I will marry you, on one condition. That we keep this to ourselves right now. Let's give Trent and Rory their moment in the spotlight."

"It's a deal, fiancé…"

"So, how much longer do you think that this will take? To be honest with you, right now I just want to go home to bed and sleep." Dave took one look at the way that Sebastian was quirking his eyebrows at the word sleep, and let out a low chuckle. There would be time for that later. All he could do was shake his head.

"Ok, you can't blame me for trying - but you are right, sleep would be very welcome. It has been a long day. But before that I want my Cream Soda, my chocolate, your cookies and those M & M's. I think we darn well deserve them…"

Less than half an hour later, they were allowed to go home. It was nearly 4am now, and the streets of the East Side were even quieter than they had been before. There was no-one to watch as Dave and Sebastian walked home with their shopping, all of which they had been given free of charge by a grateful store manager, who had insisted on increasing the quantities of certain goods. They were both now munching on M & M's, the bag held in Sebastian's hand. The rest of the shopping was in a big bag that Dave had insisted on carrying. They were walking arm in arm, smiles on their faces. No-one would notice straight away, but their angel feather rings were now being worn on their engagement ring finger - and they had exchanged them. Dave now had the black feather from Blaine; Sebastian the brown feather from Finn. They had decided that this was a good option until they had time to get each other proper rings and until they were ready to go public with the news - which would probably be nearer to Christmas.

As they neared home, the smiles on their faces grew, and only continued to do so every time that their eyes met. That night they had stared death in the face, and they had managed to avoid it and survive. They needed each other, because when they were together, all the demons that had haunted their lives could be firmly vanquished. As a couple, they were the strong, confident Dave Karofsky, football star in the making; and Sebastian Smythe, future actor and genuine nice guy. As they approached the door of their apartment, one thought crossed Dave's mind. He hadn't noticed it until that night, but when Sebastian was being nice, he acted a heck of a lot like Kurt Hummel. That was something that he would never hate in the man he was going to marry. Sure, it wouldn't be easy, but he wanted this. He wanted to be a husband. By his side, Sebastian was thinking much the same thing.

 _So, Dave and Sebastian live to fight another day, secretly engaged. But where is our poor Thad...? And where is Gordon Clarington?  
TBC Tomorrow  
_


	28. Easy to Mistake in the Dark

_As Sebastian and Dave head off to sleep, someone else is in for a disturbed night..._

 **Easy to Mistake in the Dark**

Back at the New Yorker Hotel, all was once again quiet. The honeymoon suite no longer contained a massive quantity of poinsettia plants, but the two young men that should have been occupying it were instead curled up in one queen size bed in the room next door. If anyone had happened to look in, they would have noticed that they were clinging onto each other for dear life - arms tightly wrapped around each other, holding the other close, Nick's head buried in Jeff' shoulder - his own face nuzzled into Nick's hair. They had fallen into a deep sleep more or less the moment that their heads had hit the pillow, without so much as taking a shower or even washing their faces beforehand. As a result, Jeff's face was still marked with the tracks of his tears, and both of them had red and puffy eyes. But for now, they slept, safe in the knowledge that the other was close by; that their husband was wrapped up in their arms, now and forever. In the honeymoon suite, Ethan and Drew also slept. It was a warm night, and so whilst Ethan had elected to slip underneath the sheet on the bed, Drew had decided just to lie on top of it. Although they had initially started off at opposite sides of the bed, during the course of the night they had moved towards each other, and now lay next to each other, both of them facing away from the door. A casual observer at the door would have looked in and imagined that it was Nick and Jeff in the bed, thanks in the main to Ethan's new hairstyle.

It was unfortunate that the observer in question was Gordon Clarington.

He had left his hiding place amongst the cages of linens just after midnight, and had slowly climbed up the emergency staircase from the kitchens. He had already selected a new hiding place close to the two young men he intended to visit - a housekeeper's closet two floors above them. He chose it over the one on the same floor as their room as it was less likely it would be searched once they knew he had escaped. He had seen the police around the building, so he knew they would be on their guard. Prior to leaving the kitchens, he had seen the florist's van arrive, and the huge quantity of plants he had ordered being taken by a group of complaining bellhops up to the room. That had left him very satisfied indeed. The spores from them should have disposed of his son's friend by the time he arrived in the room. He refused to say boyfriend or husband, because those terms were so unnatural for them.

It was as a result of what had happened that day that he had reluctantly given up on the idea of ever turning his son back onto the road to normality; to being a decent human being. No, he had to be removed, and then the stain that he had placed on his own reputation could be wiped away. He didn't want to bother with a son anymore in any case. Hunter had turned out to be weak and stupid - he had gone in too quickly for his revenge without any proper consideration of the potential consequences of his actions. As for Jeffrey, any sort of possibility that he could be fixed had been destroyed by a combination of that fag boarding school, his dancing and singing friends, the liberal wishy washy notions of Burt Hummel and his cronies, and worst of all, the influence of Nicholas Duval. Gordon almost wished that he could be there to actually see the moment that that particular little freak perished…

Now it was after 4am. The party was over; the guests were gone or fast asleep. He was ready to act now, swiftly and silently, before he made his way back to the door he had entered by, to leave with, or indeed in, the cages of laundry. He had obtained via a careless member of staff a master key card; they had left it out in what they thought was the security of the housekeeping closet. It would thus be the simplest thing in the world to slip into their room.

Being two floors above, he had not heard the drama earlier, nor was he aware that the hotel handyman had done a temporary fix on the door to the honeymoon suite.

So as he stood there, he imagined what he would find inside. The brunet would be dead by now, asphyxiated by the plants. As for the other, he had been told he was a good, deep sleeper. He had not taken any chances though - he had arranged for a box of chocolates to be sent up and placed on the bed, with a card saying they were a gift from his ex-wife. Each one laced with just enough sleeping draught to ensure Jeffrey wouldn't stir; nor indeed would Nicholas as he lost the ability to breathe.

He was unaware that in all the confusion, the box had been knocked off the bed by Nick and Jeff, then kicked under it by Ethan.

Even so, Gordon was as quiet as possible as he prepared to enter the room. There were other guests on the floor and they had to be considered. He did not want his plans wrecked by a random do-gooder, as they had been in the court. He had with him a pillow from the closet - a heavy one which he believed contained not feathers, but buckwheat - these trendy ideas could sometimes be such a blessing. It would make it far easier to hold it down over the boy's face and suffocate him. It would all be over in seconds. No doubt the press would appear, and the deaths be announced as tragic and unexplained. A bit like the gas explosion that would destroy a building of loft apartments in Bushwick. The tragic home invasions in Murray Hill and rural Vermont. The inferno that would consume a prep school in Ohio during the school day. Yes, Jeffrey and his friend were only going to be the first to suffer… It was time. He checked that the corridor was empty, and then slid the key card into the slot. He depressed the handle, and with a soft click, the door opened.

Drew Symons had always been a good sleeper, unless he was stressed. Then his normal sound sleep was gone, and the slightest noise would stir him back into wakefulness. That was the reason why he woke at the tiny click as the lock of the door to the room opened, coming to almost full alertness as the door opened and, very briefly, light spilled into the room from the hallway. At first, he wondered if Nick, or far more likely Jeff needed something, and he almost called out, his hand stretching out in the direction of the bedside table to switch on the lamp. Then he realised with horror that Jeff had given his key card to Ethan in exchange for his; and as for Nick's, he had picked it up from the floor to slot it into the light controls and it was still there. Someone had entered the room, but obviously not either of his two friends - neither would it be a member of staff, as they would doubtless have knocked before entering at such an early hour…

In that moment, he knew exactly who it was, and his blood instantly ran cold in his veins. It had to be Jeff's father; it had to be Gordon Clarington. The hand that had been reaching for the light switch now grabbed for his cellphone. He had been teased about it by most of the other Warblers, but he was never more grateful than he was now that he had not gone for a smart phone, but had retained his Blackberry. It meant that he could type a message in the dark; he could send it without any tell tale glow from a backlight. He had programmed the number of the New Yorker's security manager into his phone earlier - they all had done as a precaution against this very scenario. In one touch he had them set as his recipient. His fingers typed hard and fast, all the time keeping his arms as still as possible, so that from behind, it looked like he was still asleep. He sent the message "Intruder, Honeymoon Suite - Clarington? Help!" Then he pressed send, and hoped that the message would be enough to get the cavalry to the room.

He could hear him now, standing right next to the bed, right behind him. He lay stock still as he counted each and every breath. He could almost feel his eyes staring at him, burning into his back as he lay there, not daring to even move a muscle. It had come to him in a sudden flash as he pressed send - from Gordon's viewpoint, right behind him in a very poor light, he would have looked quite a lot like Nick; and Ethan, with his new hairstyle, intended as a tribute to the young man in question, would look like Jeff. An almost exact image of the son that he had no love for… A son whose new husband he had just tried to kill with those plants. And if he had intended to kill Nick, then it was logical by extension that he would want to kill Jeff. Only it wasn't Jeff lying there. He had been given a chance to intervene; to spoil his plans. He thought Nick was dead, so if he lay still, he would hopefully bypass him and move straight on to Ethan. Then, once he had his back to him, he could attack him with all the elements of surprise. All he could do was hope and pray that he did not have a gun or a knife. There would be little he could do to help Ethan if he was armed. Even if he wasn't, he had to hope that help was already on its way; after all, Clarington was an ex-Marine, and he wasn't exactly in the same league…

Gordon approached the bed slowly, in silence. He could see them lying there in the barely lit room, the blond hair of his fag son so visible even in the gloom. Slumped next to him on the bed was his 'friend' - slumped where he had died, he thought. He certainly wasn't moving, so that part of his plan had obviously been entirely successful. Now he just had to end the worthless life of his son. He felt absolutely no qualms in doing so. He paused for a moment to think about what could have been if he had been able to take control of the boy; if his darned wife had not protected him and cosseted him, pandering to his every whim. All those damn drawings… There was a part of him that wished that the boy had never been born, then maybe his Hunter would still be alive now. His pride and joy. His good soldier. He refused to get sentimental - that did no good. No, he had a job to do. The world would be a much better place with the demise of Jeff and Nick Sterling-Duval. One down, one to go. His hands gripped the pillow tightly now, as he worked out the best way to do it. Climb up onto the bed between the boy and the body. Then if he struggled, he could force his whole weight down on him as he pressed down with the pillow. Until he stopped struggling and it was all over. His son would be gone…

Time was passing by achingly slowly for Drew - he knew that in reality, he was lucky if even a minute had passed, but to him it felt like forever. He was desperately concentrating on staying still; playing dead. Almost holding his breath, grateful that he was lying in such a way that the slight rise and fall of his chest could not be witnessed. Then he felt the mattress between him and Ethan sag slightly as someone climbed up onto it. He took a risk and opened his eyes just enough to see what was going on. He could make out a dark shadow as someone mounted the bed; tall, angular, and holding something faintly box like in their hands. His brain rapidly processed what he saw. He was carrying a pillow. He was going to try and suffocate the person that he thought was his son. He was relieved to see that appeared to be all he was armed with - a gun he supposed would have been too noisy; a knife far too messy. Suffocation could be made to look like an accident - he rolled over in his sleep, and having drunk too much at his wedding, his body was unable to respond when it was suddenly deprived of air. Drew knew that he would only have a few seconds to act when he made his attempt, and he had but one course of action. He had to force Gordon Clarington off the bed; push him off of Ethan and over the edge to the floor. Drew wasn't small; he had the strength, but from what he had been told, his target had been strong enough to drag Jeff away bodily in the court. He had been more than a match for the combined forces of Wes, Puck and Sebastian. On the positive side, he would have the element of surprise, on top of having several pounds and a few inches on Nick. Gordon would not be expecting the dead Nick on the bed to jump up and assail him. With any luck, security would arrive and help…

He watched as the shadow moved right up the bed towards him, and then he shut his eyes again. There was a moment when it flashed across his brain that Gordon might place the pillow over his face first, just to be certain. He dared to open one eye, and he was rewarded with a view of Gordon turning away from him, and begin to lower the pillow towards the face of the unaware, sleeping Ethan. Closer and closer…. Drew waited, ready, like a coiled spring to jump up and attack the man when he finally took the step that he feared. Time seemed to stop as the pillow moved lower, millimetre by millimetre. Then suddenly it was done, and he was pressing down on Ethan's face.

Drew froze as Ethan's body suddenly jerked, and then he was up, hurling himself at Gordon like a tiger leaping on its prey, a guttural roar in his throat. He launched himself so quickly and with such force that both he and Gordon plunged off the side of the bed at once. Yes, he had certainly taken advantage of the element of surprise. He could only imagine how it felt to have someone that you had imagined to be dead suddenly attack - it must be like something out of _The Walking Dead_ , he thought, and he almost laughed.

But surprise only lasts a moment; Gordon was stronger and now he was fighting back, using the heavy pillow to batter Drew about the head. Then the bedside light was on, and Ethan was at his side. It let the two young men see the demented look on Gordon's face. It also let him see - and his face twisted in anger and horror when he realised that they were not Nick and Jeff. He was at the mercy of two older, stronger young men, who between them had him overpowered in a few short moments. The door to the room clicked open again as they did so, to allow the security manager, the harassed duty manager, and two burly looking NYPD officers to enter the room.

The next few minutes were a blur for Ethan and Drew. They were being asked questions about what had just transpired as the handcuffs were brought out and reinforcements were brought up from the lobby. One thing was certain - Gordon Clarington was back in custody, and there was more than enough evidence to ensure that attempted murder was added to his long list of crimes. Neither Ethan or Drew had suffered more than a few bruises from their fall off the bed and from the punches that had been thrown at them. The nightmare was over for now, and thankfully, despite all the tumult in the room, Nick and Jeff had not been disturbed, and slept on, oblivious to the fact that another attempt had been made to kill them.

As the police and hotel staff began to leave, a figure came sprinting along the corridor from the elevators. Suddenly, framed in the doorway was David, a worried look across his face. "We got him David. It's all over and we can all feel safe," said Drew.

"I saw," said David. "And it's good, don't get me wrong…"

"But… there's something else, isn't there? That's not why you are here," said Ethan.

David sighed, and now both young men could see that his eyes were moist. "Yeah, we have another problem. It's Thad - his bed hasn't been slept in…"

 _TBC Tomorrow_


	29. Thad

_Finally, we find out what has happened to Thad Harwood..._

 **Thad…**

There was a moment of silence as the Ethan and Drew digested the news that David had just brought them. He continued after a moment…

"He went with Wes to Penn station to see him off - that we all know. I think that Wes just wanted a few minutes with him alone - you all know just how close they have been getting. The thing is, he told me that he would instruct Thad to get a taxi back from the station, despite the fact that it is only a few hundred yards away from here. He didn't want him wandering around the streets on his own at that time of night. His train left at quarter to three; he would have wanted to get on early - you know how Wes is with his timekeeping - and so he would have sent Thad back at least fifteen minutes before that…."

"And it is nearly 5am now," said Ethan. "As you say, it is just a few hundred yards away, so it should have taken him 10 minutes at the very most to get back here, even if he was walking against Wes' wishes."

"Exactly. So, where is he Ethan? I mean, I know that this is not the crime ridden city that it once was back in the 1970s, but New York isn't exactly safe enough for someone like Thad to be blundering around in, on his own, in the early hours of the morning! If something has happened to him…Wes will never, ever forgive me. I was going to wait up for him, but I dozed off. We need to find him…."

"I take it that you have tried his mobile?" said Drew, stating the obvious.

"First thing that I did, but it was in the room, just as I suspected. He said that he didn't want to take it with him to the wedding as he was sure that if he did, it would start to ring in the middle of the ceremony…"

"Ok, so could he have gone to Bushwick? Or maybe he is with Sebastian and Dave - he could have bumped into them; they were walking home, and would have past Penn at around the right time - and if he was disconsolate, then maybe they would have offered him a shoulder to cry on," said Ethan.

David nodded rapidly, and pulled out his own phone. "I'll call Santana - she was determined that she was going to come to the airport with us, so she should be awake by now - nonetheless, she will probably still kill me for calling her so early. If one of you guys could give Sebastian a quick call, I'd be grateful…" With that, phones were pressed to ears and calls rapidly made.

Santana, lying peacefully next to Brittany, swore in Spanish as her phone began to ring. Her girlfriend still slept, completely undisturbed, as she groggily picked up her phone and saw the name 'David (Warbler)' on the screen. "This had better be good," she growled into the phone as she answered the call. As he told her what was going on, she quickly became wide awake. Phone held to her ear, she managed to slip silently out from beneath the sheets, and padded as quickly as possible to the kitchen. She found, to her surprise, Burt and Carole sitting there with a pot of tea. That was a good thing, however, and leaving David hanging on the line for a moment, she told them what was going on. In turn, they told her a couple of things that left her startled. She passed them back to David - as far as he was concerned, neither of them were good. As she spoke, he began to feel sick; his face paled and when he thanked her, he did so in a near whisper. He looked up at Ethan, who was holding his phone away from his ear.

"Sebastian hasn't seen him, but then again, he and Dave were being held hostage, at gunpoint, in a Duane Reed until about an hour ago…" said Ethan, in a hushed voice.

"He's not in Bushwick either, but they have had drama of their own - a fire in Nick and Jeff's loft. Mike has a burnt arm, and there is a bit of smoke damage. What is going on tonight? With everything that has gone on here - it is like someone has it in for us…" Suddenly, David had a brainwave. "Maybe he went with Wes. I wouldn't have put it past Thad to have been told to come back here, but instead to have gone and bought a ticket to jump on the train with him. Snuck on and waited until it was moving to surprise Wes. That must be it - they are both on the train! I'll just give Wes a call…"

He dialled the number, and then, as he heard the first ring, Drew stopped him. "Don't do it. Think about it. If he was on the train, what is the first thing Wes would have done after he got over his initial shock? Sent you a text to stop you worrying where he was. Ok, so maybe he forgot, but if he isn't there, and Wes finds out that he is missing… well, that really doesn't bear thinking about, does it?" Deep down, David knew that he was right, and all he could do now was pray that he didn't try and call him back. He doubted that he would be able to keep the secret.

"Ok, so what we do now is we go out and look for him. Scour the city if we have to. We try the hospitals, just in case he has had some kind of accident in that very short distance, and there is someone in one of them, matching his description, with no form of identification. We go to Penn station and demand to see the CCTV, to see if there are any clues there - Wes and Thad both getting on the train, hopefully; and if not, we can see when Thad left and where he went. He has to be somewhere. After all of that; once we know that he isn't somewhere in Manhattan, do we call Wes. I don't want to do it, but if something has happened and we leave telling him too long - then things will be a million times worse for him…"

Ethan and Drew nodded. "One thing though - we don't let Niff know. Not yet. They have been through so much already tonight, and they don't need this added to their woes," said Ethan.

"So, we stick together and walk the blocks. Get back on to Burt Hummel and get him and Carole to start ringing round the hospitals," said Drew. "Ethan, call Sebastian back and if he is up to it, ask him and Dave to start looking on their side of town. If he can get Cooper involved too, it would be good. The more, the merrier in this. Like you say David, he has to be somewhere."

David smiled and nodded, but in the back of his head he had a bad feeling. What if he wasn't on land anymore? Manhattan was an island after all… He put those thought to the back of his mind. They would find him. They had to. "Ok, there is no point in wasting anymore time. Let's do this." He got up and headed back to his room to collect his coat, Ethan and Drew following more or less right behind him. They descended to the floor below by the elevator - when he stepped out, David felt himself moving in virtually a run to his room, sliding the key card into the slot. He darted in, and grabbed for his coat, flinging it on. He had to find him; he had to be ok…

"Where are you off to David? It's still too early for our flight."

David froze, and spun round, to see Thad standing there, dressed only in a towel, in the bathroom doorway. For a moment he stayed stock still, blinking his eyes, wondering if what he was seeing was an illusion. Then he ran at him, and pulled the startled Thad into a bear hug. He wasn't imagining it. He was there, he was real. He let go of him, and made his way back to the door. He opened it fully, revealing Ethan and Drew. The looks of relief on their faces when they saw Thad were palpable. They smiled at David, and then grabbed for their phones. As they walked back towards the elevator, David heard the words Sebastian and Santana, and knew that they were calling the search off. Sure, there would be a lot of questions to be asked later, but just now, they wanted to let everyone know he had appeared and get back to bed.

Meanwhile David had closed the door to the room, and walked back towards the bathroom door, where Thad was still standing. As he did so, the smile on his face faded. "Where the HELL have you been!?" David growled. "I woke up and you weren't here - I mean, how long does it take to walk here from Penn station? Have you any idea what has been going on here? Gordon Clarington was here - he tried to kill Nick; nearly killed Ethan because he thought he was Jeff. I've just been told that Sebastian was nearly shot, and that Beats and Flint were caught up in a fire. I mean, we are what, 10 minutes from Penn station max! So, how come it has taken you nearly 3 hours to get back? I'm mean, for God's sake Thad, where have you been?"

Thad sighed and went to sit on the end of David's bed. He patted the bed next to him and David walked over and sat there, still with a face like thunder. "It's a long story David… First of all, I am so sorry if I worried you. I would never do that intentionally. Tonight, something happened that blew my mind; short circuited my brain. Wes kissed me. I mean, really kissed me. Twice. There were fireworks going off in my head and everything. On top of that, he finally said those three little words. He told me he loved me David. He loves me. He actually said it - he wants to be with me. I was so happy, on the top of the world. So I decided that I would walk back, and that is how the trouble started…"

David looked concerned now. He was happy for Thad and Wes - he knew that this day would come and now it had, he was elated. Until he heard the word trouble. He said nothing, and let Thad carry on. "I was just so pleased that I was more or less away in a dream world. I didn't pay any attention to where I was going, I just kept walking, the memory of Wes kissing me going on over and over again in my head. So yeah, I was lucky not to get run over in my daze. I ended up down by the Hudson river, on a derelict pier - and the thing is, my state had been spotted, and I had been followed by a guy with a knife, intent on robbing me…." David gasped, and Thad just shrugged. "So there I was, with nowhere to go. It was a dead end. I saw the knife and I thought 'This is it - my life is over. That it was all so unfair. I had just finally got happiness in my life, had the promise of everything I have ever wanted, and now it was going to be taken away from me - and Wes. The guy wanted my phone and my money. I told him I had left my phone and my wallet here, but he didn't believe me. Didn't believe that a rich preppy kid like me would be wandering the streets with nothing. In the end, he came at me with the knife raised. I was right at the end of the pier, there was no fence, so I just side stepped at the last second, and his momentum carried him on - and he ended up in the Hudson. Turns out that he couldn't swim. So there I was, faced with a major moral dilemma. The guy had just tried to kill me, but now he was drowning in the Hudson. I couldn't in all conscience leave him to drown, could I? So I got my coat, watch and shoes off, and dived in. I rose above my anger and saved him. It wasn't easy, but I dragged him out - kinda ruined my suit in the process though. He started to cry once he was back on the pier, and being me, I put an arm on his shoulder. He ended up sobbing on my chest, thanking me, apologising for what he had just tried to do. We ended up talking for hours, me and Ryan. He told me all about his life to date. How he had fallen in with a bad crowd, ended up leaving home. How he had just dug himself in deeper and deeper. How he was such a bad person, and that I should just have left him to drown. I did my best Wes impression, and told him it was never too late. That he was still young - he was only seventeen David! - and that he should go home and try and make things right with his family. We ended up walking back here - I gave him my Metrocard and saw him on the subway back to the Bronx. Will he go back to his folks? Who knows, but at least I tried… After that, I came back here, and went straight for a shower. I didn't even notice that you weren't here. I am so sorry that I stressed you out David. It's just - Wes loves me! He actually told me. Finally, my dreams are coming true…"

David sat by him in silence as the whole gamut of emotions ran through his head. He wanted to curse Thad for being so stupid to have got himself into so much danger. If the guy had attacked him earlier, he could be heading to the city morgue to identify his body. At the same time, he could understand why he had ended up in that state, and he had got himself out of it. So there was no way he could chastise him. Instead, he put an arm around his friend's shoulder, and smiled. "It does seem like your dreams are coming true. I just wish that for your sake he hadn't taken quite so long to act on something that I have known about, to be honest, for years. He fell for you on the day that you auditioned for the Warblers. I know Wes; have known him far longer than any of the rest of you. It was there, in his eyes, the moment they saw you. He had fallen, and fallen hard. Wes told me all his secrets - he told me that he was gay on the day before he left to start at Dalton. I promised to keep it a secret, because I know his parents. They will disown him for this, that much I know for certain. I guess that is why it has taken him so long to finally confess his love for you - it can't have been an easy thing for him to do, because he knows that there will be consequences. But he has done it, and he will be doing it for the long run, Thad. Have no doubt on that. I fully expect to be attending your wedding in a couple of years time. You are a very lucky guy."

Thad nodded, a smile across his face. He knew how lucky he was. There wouldn't be a single day in his life when he thought otherwise. David smiled back at him, and carried on. "But, please, don't ever scare me like that again, because after Wes, you are my best friend, and I sort of love you in a purely fraternal way. Plus, I never want to have to think about what I would tell Wes if something happened to you. It would kill him. We will have to tell him eventually, because he will find out - he always does. It has been quite a night, and I think his mind will nearly explode when we tell him half the things that have taken place. So definitely after his audition is done before we let anything out; once we are back in L.A. Still, at least one of us has escaped all the trauma tonight. Trent is still sound asleep with his new fiancé. He is going to go as mad as Wes when he wakes up, grabs his phone like he always does, and sees all the messages we have sent…"

 _So Thad is safe. All of those that were in danger are, bar one...  
TBC Tomorrow_


	30. Boston Bound

_It's time for Blaine to collect a friend..._

 **Boston bound**

 _You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,_  
 _You make me happy when skies are grey,_  
 _You'll never know, dear, how much I love you,_  
 _Please don't take my sunshine away._

After he had boarded the train at Penn station, Wes had quickly fallen asleep, happier and more content than he had been since, if he was honest, childhood. He felt a warm glow throughout his body, his heart was light, and if he closed his eyes, he could still imagine the wonderful feel of Thad's lips against his. His dreams were peaceful as the train roared along, and he only woke up as the train began to pull out of the station in Providence, Rhode Island. He yawned and stretched, knowing that it wouldn't be long now until the train crossed into Massachusetts, arrived in Boston, and then he would catch The T back to Harvard. He noted that the train was running on schedule, and that he should arrive in Harvard with plenty of time to spare before his audition at the Hasty Pudding Club. He could even risk going and grabbing something for breakfast. He went to check his phone, and noted a missed call from David just after 5am. He frowned, wondering why he hadn't woken up - but when he checked the call log, he saw that it had barely rung before the call was cancelled. He shook his head and smiled - David did have a habit of making unintentional calls when he woke up. There was also a text message which had arrived from Santana a little bit later - 'At long last Montgomery, you and Harwood are getting wanky. Happy for you xx.' Wes couldn't stop himself chuckling, and stored the text away for safe keeping. Somehow, knowing that she approved meant so much to him.

He considered calling Thad - he would be up by now, and getting ready for his flight back to the west coast. He wanted so much to hear his voice. However, if he called, they would start talking, and Thad would stop trying to pack, and that would make David stressed as he would have to hurry him up. So he sent a private text to him instead - 'Morning, my one true love. Still taste your lips on mine. Want to kiss like that forever. Soon xxxxx.' He closed his eyes, and he could picture the whole thing as it had happened last night all over again. How startled Thad had been at first, and then how he had more or less melted in his arms. How he had rested his head on his shoulder in that one last hug….and then he smelt it. The pomade that Thad had used on his hair last night, that smelt faintly of apples. Some of it must have transferred onto the shoulder of his own coat last night. He would always associate that smell now with their first kiss. He would have to demand that Thad bought a jar of the stuff to use on his hair at all times. And yes, it would be a long time until he washed his coat now too….

The train pulled into Boston five minutes ahead of time, and Wes joined the small number of passengers that were leaving it that Sunday morning. The following day at this time, the station would be packed with commuters, but today there was time to move slowly and admire the architecture. Not for too long though, as Wes had a date with the Red Line to Harvard. As he waited for the subway, he ran through his audition song in his head. It was an old song, one that would have been perfect for the theme of last night. He reviewed his copy of the sheet music, annotated with his own notes. He could pull it off, no worries. In fact, nothing was worrying him anymore. Even the prospect that he might have to drag up for some of the shows that the Hasty Puddings performed no longer bothered him. In fact, there was a small part of him that was actually looking forward to it. This year was going to be good. None of the stuffiness of the Harvard Glee Club anymore - and it was stuffy; even the rules and traditions of the Warblers were nothing compared to theirs.

The subway arrived, empty again compared to a weekday. He took a seat and lost himself in though once again. He wondered how Niff were finding their first morning as husbands. He was so very happy for them - after everything that they had been through, finally something good had happened. He just hoped that Gordon Clarington would not get to them and spoil everything. Then there were Trent and Rory - the young man that had always been known as the 'Sunshine of the Warblers' was now engaged to his young Irishman, and was happier than ever. Thinking of Niff and Trory inevitably brought him to thoughts of his own future. To the day when he would marry his Thad. Hopefully by then, Ohio would have legalised gay marriage, and they would be able to solemnise their relationship in the place he wanted - by the main staircase at Dalton. That would be his venue of choice - the place where he had felt the most safe and secure; the place where he had met his Thaddie…

He arrived at Harvard Square station at 8.15 - his audition with the Hasty Pudding Club wasn't scheduled until 9am, so he had plenty of time. His trusty bicycle was waiting in the rack for him. He had leant it to one of the grad students whilst he had been away in New York, and he had brought it back to await its rightful owner now that he had returned for good. He unlocked it, placed his small bag on the pannier, then strapped on his helmet before he set off to cycle the short distance to his favourite diner. That morning it seemed to be everyone in Harvard's favourite diner. There was a queue to be served and no seats to eat in, so Wes ordered to go when his time came. He could sit outside the club's building and eat there if necessary. He ordered a latte and his breakfast bagel. The staff knew him, and welcomed him back, querying if New York had changed his tastes. The metropolis hadn't - he still wanted his crispy bacon, scrambled egg, and his own particular pleasure - a dollop of wholegrain mustard and just a hint of maple syrup. It smelt so good when it arrived, the bagel lightly toasted. He took it outside and immediately bit into it. It was every bit as delicious as he remembered, so missed in the time he had been away. Not even Santana had been able to get it quite right at the Spotlight Diner, however hard she had tried. He ended up eating it all as he stood by the door of the diner, finishing it in under five minutes.

It was then he remembered the time. He glanced at his watch. He still had twenty minutes until his audition started and the ride would take him five at the most. He drank some of his coffee, then placed the lid firmly back on his cup, before placing it in the cup holder that he had fitted onto the front of his bike. He strapped his helmet back on, and as he rode off, waved through the window of the diner to Angela, his favourite server. She had been there for nearly forty years, and that made her the best at the job. He took off, easing his way into the light traffic, although it was beginning to pick up now. He cycled contentedly along Mount Auburn Street, humming the tune of the song for his audition. He felt as if he was about to stand in front of the Warbler Council all over again, as he had done almost seven years ago now. It still felt as if it was yesterday….

" _Montgomery!" The boy at the door barely looked at him as he summoned him into the room, where the assembled Warblers sat or stood. The atmosphere was slightly intimidating to the young boy - he, a lowly freshman, still getting used to being at a boarding school, was about to perform in front of an audience formed of boys from the three years above him. Some of the faces did look downright scary, whilst others were looking at him kindly, as if they remembered being in this position._

" _Mr Montgomery," said a voice. He turned to face the table at the front and saw that it was the Head of Council, Gabriel, that had spoken. He looked at him kindly. Next to him, with a virtual scowl on his face sat Connor, his deputy; on his other side sat Louis, the secretary and the youngest of the three. The expression on his face said 'Get on with it!'_

 _Wes nodded at them and announced his song choice -_ Empty Chairs at Empty Tables _from_ Les Miserables. _Oh, how he recalled their incredulous looks at that! Until he sang it, and blew them all away. Connor stopped scowling, Louis took an interest, and as for Gabriel, his face just lit up. He was appointed a member of the Warblers by unanimous vote in less than a minute. Afterwards, Gabriel (or Gabe as he let his friends call him) took him aside and told him he should try out for lead soloist. Wes was flattered, but had said that he might think about it next year._

As it turned out, it never would be his year to be the lead. Once he had been voted onto the Council as Deputy Head in his junior year, it never would be. He didn't mind that one bit. He had never craved the limelight…

He looked up and saw that he was now reaching the junction with John F Kennedy Street. The traffic lights were at green, and he cycled through….

Moments later, the contents of a half drunk latte were being sprayed across the pavement, the cup itself having exploded as it hit the building above at high velocity…

* * *

In Bushwick, all was quiet. Burt and Carole had tried and failed to get back to sleep several times, and in the end, they had given up. They could sleep on the train back to Washington later. Carole had bustled around from room to room after Santana had left, along with Sam, to accompany David and Thad to the airport. She couldn't help but think how lucky the latter had been that night - just a slight change in the circumstances and well it didn't bear thanking of. There was of course no need for them to have gone with them to JFK, but she had promised on a whim, and after that phone call, she couldn't sleep either. Sam was always an early riser, and he had insisted on going too. As for the others, they all slept on. Brittany, Puck, Quinn, Trent and Rory had slept through all the drama of fires, disappearances, armed robberies and murderous fathers. It turned out that most of the Warblers seemed to have had some kind of near death experience touch them. Her pottering had averted another one. She had peeked in on Trent and Rory, and had heard a buzzing. She had found the source - Trent's mobile phone charger. She had paled as she noticed the bare wire, and had carefully switched the power off to the socket before she had pulled out the plug. She would have to have a chat with him about safety, particularly in light of the fire. She didn't want him hurt, not now that he was engaged to Rory, the boy that felt a little bit more like a son to her with each passing day. Just as Trent would surely become too. As she sat at the kitchen table, sipping her tea, she couldn't help but feel how lucky she was. She had lost her own son and stepson, and Blaine; they could never be replaced. But she did have a whole host of other kids that looked up to her.

At 8.47am, the peace of the morning was shattered. There was a sudden ear splitting scream from the room that Trent and Rory occupied. Carole nearly dropped her cup and Burt did drop the newspaper. They were up and running along the hall, and climbing to the upper floor in seconds. The door to the room was already open, and they were confronted with an unimaginable scene. Rory was sobbing away in Rachel's arms, Brittany in Quinn's. Puck was desperately trying to bring Trent back. At that moment he was sitting there, bolt upright in the bed, screaming his heart out. Rory suddenly saw Carole, and she made her way to him. "He won't stop. He just suddenly sat up and started screaming. He can't see me or hear me. I don't know what's wrong with me either - my legs feel like jelly, and I can't stop shaking…." he sobbed out. Burt had now joined Puck in trying to get Trent to snap out of whatever trance he was in. And then, just as suddenly as he had begun he stopped - and promptly passed out. That brought a scream from Rory, who fought to break out of Rachel's grasp, as tears streamed down his face.

Carole looked at Burt with horror, hoping that this was nothing too serious. "It's ok. He has fainted, probably thanks to the exertion of screaming like that for so long. I'm sure he just needs a minute and then he'll come round." Rory finally got free from Rachel and darted over to take Trent's hand. It was then that it started - an insistent banging on the front door. Puck turned to look at Rachel, and then the two of them turned and made their way downstairs, Burt right behind them, wondering what the heck was going on.

When Rachel opened the door it was to reveal Tina, her face as tear stained as Rory's. "It's Beats and Flint. They just started to scream. Mike and I rushed in, and the two of them were just sat there, in the bed, side by side, screaming…they couldn't even see us…" Puck took that as his cue, and made his way swiftly over to the other loft, leaving Rachel to wrap an arm around Tina and escort her through to the kitchen. Burt just stood there, shaking his head - something very odd was going on…

When Puck joined Mike in Nick and Jeff's bedroom, it was to find him standing there, as white as a sheet, with a bandaged arm, staring at the two passed out young men slumped on top of each other in the bed. "They just stopped Puck," said Mike quietly. "One minute they were screaming, and the next, they just stopped and fainted…"

"So did Trent about two minutes ago, having just done exactly the same thing as your two. I don't like it Mike, that much I will tell you. Not one bit. Something strange is going on. Incidentally, what have you done to your arm..?"

* * *

At the junction of Mount Auburn and John F Kennedy Streets in Harvard, people had stopped to stare. What had just taken place was horrific. "He was just cycling along, looking so happy. He had the green, he had the right of way. And it just came out of nowhere…" one bystander observed to another, having borne witness to the entire event.

How the student on the bicycle had not had a chance when the 18 wheeler truck had ploughed straight through the red stoplight.

The driver would end up crashing the truck into a building at the top of John F Kennedy Street. He was, to quote the local sheriff, 'As drunk as a skunk.' He had been killed in the crash. He would not have to answer any charges in a court. What had been a quiet, sunny August Sunday morning in Harvard had turned into something horrific.

When the news got to the diner, Angela knew at once who it was on the bicycle, that now lay crushed almost flat in the intersection. She promptly burst into floods of tears for the young man who had so adored his breakfast bagels.

 _Wesley Montgomery  
8_ _th September 1992 - 24th August 2014_

 _Next Chapter on Sunday._


	31. At Mount Auburn and JFK Streets

_So, Wes has gone...but there's a twist for Kurt and Blaine to deal with._

 **At Mount Auburn and JFK Streets**

For Wesley Montgomery, death had been a quick and relatively painless experience. He had no sooner seen the truck approaching in his peripheral vision on the right hand side, than it had been upon him, and he found himself airborne, flying through the air towards the buildings on the east side of John F Kennedy Street. He impacted into them head on, and he heard his cycle helmet crack, but not break. That initial impact was not what killed him - indeed he would have survived, albeit with horrendous injuries, had it not been for an inconsiderately positioned lamppost. As he ricocheted back from the building, still with the speed that he had gained from the initial impact, he hit it hard with the back of his neck; it shattered his spine, sending shards of vertebrae into his windpipe, effectively blocking it and rendering him unable to breathe. He felt excruciating pain for the briefest of moments, and then his brain shut down and the world went black. He was dead before his body even fell onto the sidewalk. The bright light in his eyes faded, but the broad smile on his face remained in place. That was what upset the bystanders the most…

Wes of course was completely unaware of this. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting on the kerb on the opposite side of the road. He had a clear view of the now stationary traffic on both streets, and the growing crowd on the other side of the road. Harvard he noted was deathly quiet when the hum of traffic stopped. Sure, he could hear sirens in the distance, but apart from that, there was nothing; not even a hint of birdsong.

"Wes?"

He had been expecting to hear that voice. He knew what had happened to him. That moment of pain had told him all that he needed to know. "Hey Blaine. Is Kurt here with you?"

"Yes, he is. I could have come on my own, should have really, but - this is not something that I really wanted to do, Wes, not for decades yet. So he is here, to give me some moral support. I am so sorry about this…"

"It's not your fault Blainers. You didn't wake up and decide that today would be the day that I died. I have always known that one day, my time would be up - like you, I didn't want it to be so soon, but there was no choice… To be honest with you, I knew that I was going to die today. I realised that the night before the wedding. The only thing I didn't know was how or when it was going to happen…." Up until that moment, he had been sitting with his back to his friend, but now he turned round to look at them. Blaine was standing there with a petrified look on his face, and beside him, Kurt looked equally horrified.

"How Wes? How could you know? Did Finn say something? Please don't let it be that, because he will be in so much trouble…" said Kurt, his voice sounding all the more tearful as he went on.

"It wasn't Finn, Kurt. Nobody actually came out and told me, I just worked it out from all of the little clues. No-one is going to be punished - your mom already knows about it, and it's ok…"

"Clues? What clues?" said Blaine, looking perplexed.

"I'll tell you once you get me away from here. I mean, I am assuming that the afterlife has to be something better than a cold kerb in John F Kennedy Street…"

Kurt suddenly laughed, and broke the tension, the other two soon joining him in what could only be described as slightly inappropriate laughter.

"I'm so sorry Wes," said Blaine after the laughter had died down. "It was the shock of finding out that you knew - no-one is ever supposed to know. Ok, so firstly, before you go, do you want to see your human body one last time? Your choice - I saw mine, but Kurt chose not to. It is entirely your choice…"

Wes chose to see, and he walked across the street slowly with the two angels. When he saw himself, he gasped. Someone had closed his eyelids, and now, if it hadn't been for the terrible angle his head was lying at, he could almost have been asleep. There was no blood, no visible bones. The helmet had done its job and protected his skull as it was supposed to. "I look happy. That's good. I like the idea that I was smiling as I died…." He suddenly realised as he uttered those words, the reason why he had been smiling. That was now an impossibility. His heart broke as he thought of Thad - his poor Thad who would be broken by this. By the time that Kurt and Blaine lead him away, Wes was in tears.

They took him somewhere that left him speechless. The light was perfect; the tiled floor, the lights, the murals; it was Dalton Academy. Only, it wasn't. This corridor would not echo to the sound of footsteps as boys made their way to class the following day. It echoed now only to the sound of Kurt's Doc Maartens, Blaine's loafers and the soft sound of the worn pair of Converse that Wes wore when he was cycling. He allowed them to lead him through those familiar surroundings to a room that he knew only too well - the Senior Commons. Once again, the likeness was uncanny. "You two have done a magnificent job - this **is** Dalton. It is all absolutely spot on…" He laughed as he suddenly caught sight of something that was sitting in its rightful place on the council table. He walked over and picked it up, feeling its weight and how it felt in his hand. "You even got this right. It is like Mr Bangy actually came with me…"

He turned and smiled at his two friends, who were almost glowing with pleasure at his praise. Then he did something that was very unlike the Wes that they had known at Dalton. He jumped up and sat on the edge of the council table, something that would have got any Warbler that had attempted to do it shot back in the day. "You have no idea how long I have wanted to do this," said Wes, a big grin on his face. "Ok, so story time. Take a seat on the couch and I will tell you exactly how I knew…"

"I first noticed something, I suppose, at the start of July. All through June, it had been just like it always was - well, since Thanksgiving. You were around, Blaine, on a semi regular basis. I saw you almost every day; even when you were technically in Europe, you always made time to come and at least say hi. Death had not altered our friendship in any way. And then suddenly, everything changed. I stopped seeing you on a regular basis - in fact, I don't think I saw you at all for the first two weeks of July. Not once. I saw Kurt, and he told me that you had started to do collections, as had he. Finn confirmed this, so I didn't really think anything of your disappearance from my daily life. When you did finally reappear, you were completely different in the way that you acted around me. You were distant, cold and aloof. I didn't like it, and it worried me, but I put it down to the stress you had in your new role. I find it hard to imagine what it must be like; to witness death every single day. I guess it is the fact that you are helping them on their way that softens the edges… I'll find out soon enough myself now…"

Wes paused to look at his two friends, sat there on the couch that they had always shared with Niff. It was funny to see them sitting there alone; but as he thought what it would mean if they weren't, he was grateful. Blaine looked upset, but he knew that Elizabeth would talk to him. He was new to the job, and his 'poker face' would come in time. "August came, and with it, the wedding. I'm so glad that it happened yesterday, because those two would never have agreed to carry on with it if I had died before… Now, with me living with them, it was less easy for you to avoid me completely. You couldn't avoid the wedding, or helping out the boys. And that was when I really started to notice that something was terribly wrong. You could barely talk to me Blaine unless Kurt was by your side, holding your hand. It was like I was seeing the Blaine I first knew all over again. The shy, sacred boy, still bearing all the marks of a brutal and unprovoked attack at that Sadie Hawkins dance. You just could not bear to be alone with me. But at the time, I thought that it was maybe the same with everybody. Looking back now, I realise that wasn't the case. You spent time with Sam on your own. You and Nick were as thick as thieves half the time. Not to mention your solo visits to see Trent, Thad and Mike. At the time, the whole wedding thing was filling my head 24/7. So I didn't realise. Not until the night before the wedding. At the big reveal, to all of those people. And, quite by accident, to me…"

"I was at one end of the room with the newest Warblers and Sam, introducing the new boys to Finn. You were with Beats and Flint at the opposite end of the room. I kept trying to catch your eye Blaine, but every time I caught it, you immediately looked away. And that hurt. I care about you a lot Blaine, and have done since the day I met you, and for you to more or less disown me like that was horrible. It broke my heart, but as ever I soldiered on. Once I had the young ones settled, and everyone else came back, I sought you out again. All I wanted to do was say hello, and check on how you were. Every time I got close, you moved across the room in a hurry. This happened a few times - you would be talking to someone, then you would catch sight of me and scarper. Nick and Jeff ended up being quite upset that night too - they had no idea what they had said or done to make you just scurry off the way you did. It hurt them, until Finn spoke to them, just as he had done to Sam…"

Kurt and Blaine both sat in silence as they remembered that Finn had told them that he had told Sam the reason behind Blaine's sadness. "It was Sam… He passed it on in all innocence…" said Blaine, his head bowed.

"I'm very much afraid that it was. I mentioned that I thought there was something very off about you. He said that it was all down to you having to do collections and having a 'big one' coming up. And that was when it hit me. And I knew…"

Wes paused again, and made to swipe at the moisture in his eyes. He was about to recall a night when he had suddenly had the rug pulled out from under him in the most terrible way. "A 'big one' that was stressing you out. It had to be someone that you were guardian angel to, by any logic. You had been chatting away that night to all of the younger New Directions - in fact, you and Kitty in particular seemed as thick as thieves. You had been talking to Sam every day that month, and he had mentioned that you were also seeing a lot of Cooper as you helped him with his rehearsals. You had been in L.A., visiting David and Thad on more than one occasion before they flew over for the wedding. That only left me and Sebastian from your original group - and I was sure that it wouldn't be someone that you had just taken guardianship over. Is it wrong that a big part of me was hoping that it was Seb that was slated to die? Because that is what I felt, and yes, hoped. Then I heard him talking to Santana, saying that you had seemed alright, if a bit distant, when he had seen you at home that morning… At that moment I felt like screaming "Why me?" But I realised that it would be pretty pointless to do that. Like you, I was obviously in the book. So I had to die. There was no avoiding it. All I could do now was chose my manner as I went out. I decided to go with dignity. So I stayed there at the party - there, but not there. Everybody was having a good time, and I just acted my part. I ignored how numb I felt inside. I just buried it away for the sake of everyone else…"

"You managed that very well, Wes," said Kurt. "I had no idea that you weren't ok that night, none at all…."

"I was so glad when the party ended. From an overcrowded, warm, noisy room to just me, Nick, Jeff, Mike and Tina. I let them all get off to bed; told them that I would start to clean the place up a bit first. Which I proceeded to do, to an almost industrial level. Not one glass lying around or left unwashed. Plates cleaned and neatly stacked. Crumbs swept up. It took me about three quarters of an hour, by which time I was the only one in the loft awake. That was when I finally slumped down onto the couch, and just sat there and wept. I cried for them all; for the Warblers; for David, my best friend; for my poor Thaddie, and yes I admit it, for myself. I didn't want to die. It wasn't fair…"

"All I heard was, 'No it isn't Wes. I'm so sorry that you had to find out.' It was your mom, Kurt. She was suddenly there, and she sat down with me and told me all that she knew. Which wasn't very much, admittedly - she knew that I was to die on Sunday. I stopped crying then, because there was no point anymore - and she agreed with me on that. She told me that she would speak to me at some point on the day that I arrived, and then she left. Once she was gone, I knew what I had to do. I had been given a chance to leave things in my life the way that I would want them to be. I wrote out a will - my trust fund has matured, and it was now mine to leave as I saw fit. Without a will, it would all go to my parents. So for me, as for you Blaine, a will was a necessity. I wrote an individual note to all of my Warblers; I wrote a long letter to David, and then I wrote an even longer letter to Thad, laying down my feelings for him in black and white. I then did something that made me cry all over again. I packed up the real Mr Bangy, and sent him to Thad too. And then, I tried to get some sleep. I had a wedding to organise in the morning after all. I didn't think that I would be able to get any at first, but I felt so calm now that I had accepted my destiny, so I got a couple of hours. But by 6am, I was awake again, wandering the house restlessly and getting tearful all over again…"

"It was seeing Nick and Jeff curled up together in bed that did it. I realised that I wasn't going to be there with them in human form for all the big events in the future. I wasn't going to be there for any of them anymore in the way that I was now, and that hurt so much. I had another good cry, washed my face, and pulled myself together. This day wasn't about me. It was about my lovely Niff and their future together. I was so happy for them and I just had to let that joy override my own sadness. The first person to wake up that morning was Mike. He's such a great guy, really has his head screwed on. So I asked him to keep an eye on Nick and Jeff for me; told him about all their hidden weaknesses. He just assumed that I was doing it because he was the new roommate. He will probably realise eventually that I knew what was going to happen. I guess that they all will with the notes, my will and sending Mr Bangy to Thad. It was such a good day, the wedding was perfect - well apart from Mr Duval turning up and acting like a total idiot. At least Gordon Clarington didn't turn up and ruin things…" Wes looked up at Kurt and Blaine, and he knew that he had missed something just by the look on their faces. "Hmm, I take it he did turn up eventually?"

"Yes," said Blaine. "He filled the honeymoon suite with poinsettias. Left chocolates laced with a sleeping draught by the bed. Fortunately, he misjudged how quickly Nick would be affected. He was struggling to breathe in less than a minute - it was touch and go, but Ethan and Drew heard Jeff's screams and saved him. Problem was, he came back intending to suffocate the drugged and sleeping 'Jeff'. Only it was actually Ethan, and Drew wasn't a dead Nick. It's a long story. Anyway, he's back in custody now."

Wes just stared at him and shook his head. "I guess his brother told him about the latex allergy? I mean, it is a bit weird though - did they not see them…? Oh, let me guess, they left the lights off… Some wedding night for them. A near death experience for Nick. And for Ethan too is suppose."

"And Sebastian and Dave," said Kurt.

"And Mike, Tina, Beats and Flint," said Blaine.

"And Thad…." said Kurt quietly.

Wes had begun to stare at the first two names; his eyes nearly popped out of his head when four more were added. But the last… "Thad!? A near death experience for my Thaddie? How on earth did that happen? Is he ok?"

"He was in a state of delirium after you kissed him; he decided to walk back to the hotel, but lost track of his surroundings, and ended up at the end of an old pier on the Hudson River, pursued by a guy with a knife. He wanted his money, but Thad had none on him, so he tried to stab him…" Blaine paused as Wes went pure white in horror, then continued, "…but Thad side stepped and his assailant ended up in the river. He couldn't swim, so Thad ended up diving in to save him. Managed to get him out and give him some good advice before heading back to the hotel. But not before David had discovered he was missing and panicked…"

"Poor David. He must have been terrified, wondering what had happened to him, and what he was going to tell me - that's why I had that missed call at 5am, isn't it? I take it the rest of them are ok too?"

"Yeah. Mike burnt his arm putting out the fire" - Kurt paused as he saw Wes' eyebrows arch up - "but that's it. Sebastian will eventually realise just how lucky he was when he confronted the gunman, and fall apart. Ironically, thanks to Sam, both he and Nick thought they were the 'big collection' at the time."

"I'm glad it wasn't one of them. Seb is turning into a really good guy, and if it had been Nick, then Jeff would have been about half an hour behind him at the most." A thought struck him then, one that filled him with fear. "Please tell me that Thad isn't going to follow me. He can't. He needs to live. I am going to miss him so much, and those lips of his are wonderful, but I would rather wait a century for another kiss than see him lose his life now. He has to live…." Wes could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, and Blaine was swift in his reply.

"He isn't coming soon. None of them are. The good thing is he will still be able to see you. You will still be around for them all."

Wes smiled, grateful that no more of his flock were going to follow him, Kurt and Blaine into heaven. The only question in his mind now was what his death was going to do to them all. He had no idea exactly how much it would affect them, other than it was going to be bad.

 _So Wes is in heaven, but still worried about his boys - and it is to them we return on Tuesday..._


	32. The Newlyweds

**The Newlyweds**

Nick Sterling-Duval opened his eyes and glanced at the clock on the bedside table. It was just before 9am but he wasn't worried. It was a Sunday, and it had been a long night. He had slept peacefully and contentedly almost as soon as he had spooned with Jeff - he had just felt so safe and loved clutched in his arms. He knew that Jeff would have slept well holding him too. As often happened, during the night they had slipped out of each others arms, and he now lay on his back, next to Jeff, the covers having been thrown halfway down the bed. He suddenly recalled having a really weird dream during the night. It was all so clear in his mind - he had been sitting bolt upright in the bed, Jeff in exactly the same position at his side, the pair of them screaming at the top of their voice. It all seemed so vivid, so real - and frighteningly, Nick realised, it had been exactly like they were now… He dismissed the notion at once as fanciful. He leant over the sleeping man next to him - his husband - and kissed him gently. As usual, that was all it took to rouse Jeff from his slumber. As he opened his eyes, Nick whispered "Good Morning, husband…"

Jeff's face lit up and with a broad smile, replied "And good morning to you, Mr Sterling-Duval." He proceeded to pull his husband down on top of him, for another, longer kiss. If this was what married life was going to be like, Jeff was all for it.

They called room service and ordered breakfast about 9.30. They could have headed downstairs, but they decided that just this once they would have a treat. The waiter arrived ten minutes later with a trolley - there were bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese; eggs benedict; crispy maple cured bacon; toast and preserves; fresh orange juice and a pot of coffee. It arrived with a note saying that it was compliments of the management, as an apology for the lapses in security that had allowed Gordon Clarington to carry out his plans. There was also a bouquet of flowers, and a note from David and Thad, to say that they had left for the airport, but would need to talk to them later about the night's events. To be honest, neither of them were that keen to have such a conversation. Putting it out of their minds, they enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, feeding each other morsels of toast and bacon - there might also have been a kiss or two in between. They had just finished up when Nick received a text from Puck, addressed to them both, asking if they were properly married yet? Jeff looked confused, until Nick said "No, we aren't. We never consummated it last night thanks to those darn plants."

"We should sort that out right now then Nicky…" said Jeff with a wink and a giggle. After all, wasn't that one of the main purposes of showers in hotel rooms - as the ideal location for a spot of consummating…

It was just after 11am when Nick and Jeff finally left the New Yorker hotel, Jeff carrying the bunch of flowers. Ethan and Drew had come to the door whilst they had been otherwise engaged, and had pushed a note under it which read 'To quote Santana, Wanky! See you both at your place later.' Nick had blushed furiously, but Jeff had just laughed and said that they were just jealous that he had the gorgeous husband and they didn't. When they left the hotel, Jeff had been anticipating heading straight home, but instead Nick guided him to the subway, and he found himself on a downtown train. Nick admitted that he had a surprise for Jeff, and the latter happily followed his husband. They had to change trains en route, and then walk a few blocks guided by Nick's phone. Then they arrived at their destination.

At first Jeff thought their had to be some mistake. It was certainly not anywhere that he would have anticipated. A tattoo parlour. He had been expecting a lunch reservation at a charming, chic restaurant. A visit to an exclusive jewellers to pick up some little token of love. A picnic in a pocket park or on the High Line. He would never, ever have predicted Nick to bring him here. He turned to his husband, his shock written all over his face, and waited for him to tell him what was going on.

"I guess that this is a bit of a shock… It was yesterday, when my dad turned up and tried to stop the wedding. I suddenly realised just how fragile what the two of us have actually is. I realised that even with a marriage certificate, the rings, the whole shebang, if someone wanted to, they could take it all away; wipe our minds and there would be nothing." He looked at Jeff, who was about to protest, and held up his hand to stop him. "I know that we have all of our photos, our friends, our memories, but all of that could be lost in an instant. I want something more permanent. I used to be against the whole idea of tattoos - they seemed a bit vulgar to me, but now - well, we've both been marked already by Hunter, so maybe I have changed my mind. Why not have a mark on my body that has been made out of love, instead of evil and hate? So, I am going to get your name tattooed across my heart. Then everyone will know that I am yours, for all time. I hope that you don't hate the idea - if you do, then we can turn around right now and go…"

Jeff stood for a moment as he thought about what Nick had just said. He did actually have a point. A very good one. "Actually, Nicky, I like the idea. A lot. But I am going to attach one major condition to it. And that is that I get your name tattooed across my heart too…"

"I was kind of hoping you might say that - in fact, I was pretty sure you would. Which was why I went and booked two appointments for us…"

Jeff laughed. "You know me too well. But now that I am thinking about it, might I make a suggestion? Rather than just getting our names tattooed in standard lettering, what if we write our names on each other in our normal handwriting, and ask them to tattoo that on instead?"

"That, Mr Sterling-Duval, is a beautiful idea. So, are you ready?"

"Yeah, let's do this Nicky. I mean, it can't be any more painful than what Hunter already did to us, can it?"

They sat side by side as the two tattoo artists did their job. They had thought the whole idea of the written names was pretty special too, and had watched as they both took a red marker pen in turn and carefully wrote their own name on the others chest. Then they had sat back and allowed the process of turning it into a black ink tattoo commence. If the truth be told, it wasn't unpainful, but it was, as Jeff had predicted, far less painful than being branded with a red hot poker. As the work went on, Jeff turned to Nick and remarked how glad he was that he loved him and not Sebastian or Beats, the latter's first name actually being Nathaniel. Nick could only concur - four letters were more than enough to endure. Once the tattoos were finished, they both took a moment to stand and look at their own name written on their husband's chest. They took a quick picture of them on their phones, as they would have to be covered over for a few days to allow the skin to heal, and they were both certain that someone would eventually notice the dressing on their chests.. They listened carefully to the care instructions, and then put their shirts back on. Once back outside, Nick steered Jeff in the direction of their old friend, the Chinese restaurant by the Criminal Courts. He wanted the others to have plenty of time to set up his other big surprise for Jeff.

Back in Bushwick, work had been underway for some time now to do just that. Beats and Flint had got out of bed about the same time as Nick and Jeff. They had a quick breakfast, wondering why Mike and Tina were looking at them in the way they were whilst they ate. They had finished by 10am, when they were joined by Trent, Rory and Puck, the latter also looking at them strangely. The delivery truck appeared bang on schedule, and they all set to in bringing the large boxes it had carried up to the loft. This done, they were faced with a set of instructions for the assembly of a four poster bed. After a number of arguments, that were getting progressively more heated as time went on, they had made no progress whatsoever. Then Brittany appeared. She took the plans from Puck, and began to organise the whole project like a military operation. It proved to them all once and for all why she was the one studying math - behind the slightly ditzy exterior there was a very logical, analytical mind. As the parts slotted together perfectly to form the two long sides, the door was opened to reveal Sebastian and Dave, carrying a chair each; behind them followed Cooper and Grace, carrying the same. Jeff had arranged for his gift of Rennie Mackintosh chairs for Nick to be delivered to Cooper's house. Fortunately, they had come ready assembled.

By lunchtime, the bed was built and sitting in pride of place in the bedroom - the old bed had been placed in storage. The curtains had been hung in place on the sides - simple thin cotton for this time of year, and a similar draping of fabric covered the top. A new mattress was in place, the latter a wedding gift from the Sterlings, and the bed had been made up with crisp new linens, a gift from Jeff's mother and his aunts. "It looks wonderful," said Brittany. "It's perfect for two handsome princes. I'd like a bed like this one day." Puck made sure to inform Santana of that statement when she and Sam returned from the airport a few minutes later. He knew that Brittany would get her four poster bed one day if that was what she wanted - Santana always tried to keep the love of her life happy.

Carole had invited them all to lunch. Rachel was off to the theatre for her Sunday afternoon show, but everyone else was present, apart from the two grooms, Ethan and Drew. The conversation was light and jovial, but Quinn quickly noticed that both Sam and Santana seemed a bit preoccupied. She mentioned it in hushed tones to Puck, and they decided that they would tackle the two of them on it when they got a chance. It came soon enough - as soon as everyone had finished lunch and had helped to clear up, the whole party made their way back over to Niff's loft to welcome them home. Having made sure that the four of them were at the back, Puck closed the door before Sam and Santana could follow the others, and turned to face his two friends, who were already being scrutinised by Quinn. "Ok, something is up," she began. "I know the two of you well enough to know that something has happened - so, spill…"

Sam turned to Santana, and after a moment, she began to speak. "So, we got David and Thad to the airport. I had a very pleasant journey there, taking the rise out of Thad, despite the best attempts of Trouty and David to stop me. Turns out that his disappearing act last night was a combination of finally getting wanky with Wesley, and then rescuing the guy that had just tried to rob him at knifepoint from the Hudson." She paused, delighted at the raised eyebrows on Puck's face. "Anyway, we get them to JFK - it's about quarter to nine by then - and we split up. Sam went to the restroom with Thad; David and I went to wait for them by the check-in desks. About two minutes later, there in the middle of a very busy space, David suddenly stopped talking mid sentence, and froze. Then he opened his mouth again and screamed. He wouldn't stop, not even when I slapped him - he just kept on screaming at the top of his voice. The whole darn airport was watching him - even the TSA were moved into action. I kept trying to shake him out of it, but to no avail. His eyes had just gone completely vacant. He just kept on - and then as suddenly as he had started, he stopped, and I had to move quick to grab him as his body just went completely limp and he fell towards the floor. It was really weird…"

Sam then spoke. "At the same time, Thad had been washing his hands in the restroom. And suddenly, with no warning…"

"He did exactly the same thing that David did," interjected Puck.

"Yeah, that's right," said Sam. "He froze and then started screaming; carried on doing it for a while, and then he fell to the floor when he stopped. The big difference is that whilst he was doing it, I was frozen to the spot; I suddenly felt sick, dizzy, light headed. And when he fell to the floor, I joined him quite happily. The two of us must have lain there for about ten minutes, side by side, sprawled out on the floor, because by the time we got up and got back to the desks, it was 9am. There was just time for a very quick goodbye before they had to run off to get their flight. It was only once we were waiting for the subway that Santana told me what had happened with David…"

"And when I heard that the same thing had happened with Thad, at the exact same time more or less, I knew that something was very, very wrong…"

Quinn looked at Puck, and she nodded to him, giving him permission to be the one to tell their own tale. "So basically," he began, "David and Thad started screaming down JFK at just after 8.45 this morning… I would hazard a guess that the actual time was 8.47. Why? Because at that time here, Trent was doing the exact same thing - and across the landing, Beats and Flint were also in the process of scaring the life out of Tina and Mike by screaming the loft down…"

 _TBC on Thursday..._


	33. Santana Works it Out

**Santana Works it Out**

They all stood in silence as they digested the information. It had been bad enough when they had thought it had involved two or three of their Warbler friends, but five was getting a bit out of hand. Puck was also thinking about how Rory had been as Trent screamed - Sam had also been incapacitated, but no-one else had been. There was nothing that seemed to connect the incidents, and if it was a reaction to something at the wedding, why were none of them screaming? It could be a delayed reaction to the traumatic events that they had all gone through the night before, but Trent did not fit in to that pattern - he had known nothing about any of them until lunch. Even if it was that, the synchronised screaming was way too strange. They were all still pondering on what the hell was going on when they realised that they should be in the other loft by now, and their absence must have been noticed. So they made a move to join the others next door. When they entered it was to discover that Ethan and Drew had arrived and were now joking around with Beats and Flint.

Santana left the others and made her way over to where Brittany was sat at the dining table, on one of the new chairs. To do so, she had to pass the kitchen, where Carole was stood with Mike and Tina, looking at the scorch marks that still existed above the stove. As she passed, she heard the words "It has happened, and you know what they say - there is no use crying over spilt milk…"

It hit her like a pile of bricks.

Sam had dropped a glass of milk on that very spot at the exact moment that Blaine had pulled the trigger. His telepathic link, or whatever, to his best friend had told him that he had died, and he had reacted in shock.

Five Warblers, all screaming at the same time…

She looked to Brittany, sitting there happily at the table, watching the world around her, and she thought back to her words from the previous day… _"_ _Then suddenly, one of the birds died. It made all of the other birds stop singing. They all screeched in pain, and then they started to cry instead."_

She suddenly felt so sick, and she cursed her Mexican Third Eye, not for the first time. She looked at the six boys in the room, 3 of whom had screamed at the same time to her certain knowledge. There were two others on a plane to L.A. who had done the exact same thing. That left three boys in the room, who's actions that morning were unaccounted for… If Ethan, Drew and Sebastian had screamed their heads off that morning, then it would more or less confirm her worst fears. That once again, Brittany had had a dream come true; that 'the birds' were the Warblers; and that at 8.47 that morning, one of their number had died. She had been here before with Kurt and Blaine - this time, the death would probably affect the New Directions less - but as for the Warblers - they were so close knit that the death of one of them just didn't bear thinking about.

She was just about to go over and grill Ethan and Drew when the door opened. No-one immediately stepped through, but they all heard Jeff saying "No, Nicky! This is…put me down!" before he dissolved into giggles. Then they appeared, Nick staggering slightly as he carried Jeff over the threshold, to applause and laughter from every corner of the room. They left a path clear for them, and Nick managed to deposit Jeff on the sofa before he collapsed to the floor to everybody's great amusement. Jeff was almost at once down on the floor beside him to help him back up again. After they had got their breath back and Nick had been given a thumbs up by Trent, standing behind Jeff; and the latter had been given a wink by Sebastian standing behind Nick, they turned to face each other. It was Jeff that told Nick that he had a wedding gift for him first, and pulled him up off the sofa and through to the dining area. Nick's face lit up when he saw the chairs, and he did not hesitate to pull his husband into a hug, showering him with kisses. He then grabbed Jeff's hand and pulled him in the direction of their bedroom; Jeff protesting "Not now, Nicky!" to everyone's amusement.

The squeal of delight that came from Jeff when he saw his four poster bed was almost ear-splitting, and his immediate reaction made them all worry that he had forgotten his whole "Not now" statement. Finally, Nick went over to a drawer and pulled out a box, giving it to Jeff with the words "From Paris…" The music box that Jeff unwrapped, with the figures of a blond boy drawing his brunette companion on the top got a chorus of "Awww" from all around the room. When Jeff switched it on and the strains of _True Love_ were heard, there wasn't a dry eye in the room.

Once Jeff had composed himself again, having played the music box three times in a row, and then placing it carefully onto the shelf by the bed alongside Georgie Bear, Nick cleared his throat, and the room fell silent. "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you all for coming here today to wish my husband…." he paused as the inevitable cheers resounded around the room "…and I all the best for the future. We haven't had the easiest of journeys to this point - I mean, since I met Jeff for the first time I have been branded, punched by his father, and nearly asphyxiated by poinsettia plants - Jeff of course has also been branded, had an attempted kidnapping, oh, and his birth father tried to kill him last night. So, that we are here together means that this must be true love!" There was laughter at that - he had to make light of it or he might easily have wept. "Sorry, I actually forgot about the steroid addiction and the blackmail - all I can say is that life with my Jeff has not been dull! For all of those bad times, however, there have been so many more good ones. I know too that there are going to be so many more of those moments. My love for Jeff has only been strengthened by each and every trauma we have suffered; each day I wake up, think how lucky I am and fall in love with him all the more. I know that my place in the world is to be with him, at his side, every day for the rest of my life. Which is why we went out this morning and got tattoos…" There was a gasp at that from Mrs Duval; the Sterlings and Elspeth also look aghast - his aunt, Grace and Jeff's aunts just smiled. "I belong to Jeff, heart and soul, and he belongs to me. So I had him take a pen and write his name across my heart, and I wrote mine across his - and had them tattooed in place. You see, this is forever. I love my Jeffie so much, and I just wanted the whole world to know…" Nick turned to Jeff, and pulled him into a kiss.

Then it was Jeff's turn to speak. "I don't have much to add. Nicky is the love of my life; my best friend; my soulmate. He is the boy that I dreamt about when I was aged six. He makes me feel safe, connected and human. I don't know what I would do without him. And now, I don't ever have to be without him. I love you Nick - today, tomorrow and until the last breath leaves my body. And then, when we are angels like Finn, Kurt and Blaine, I will love you for the rest of eternity….and I guess that is it. So, seeing as you all have glasses, I would like to propose a toast - to Nick Sterling-Duval, the best husband and friend that any man could wish for."

"And Jeff Sterling-Duval, ditto," said Nick, getting another laugh.

"Let's just simplify it," shouted Sebastian, "and say, to Niff - may God bless them and all that ship them!" Glasses were promptly raised in toast, Sebastian's suggestion echoing around the room.

Nick then added a further toast. "To absent friends - to our three angelic friends, Finn, Kurt and Blaine; to Thad and David, who are high above the continent en route to L.A.; and to Wes, who is by now almost certainly a Hasty Pudding!" The toast was made, but a lot of people were wondering what exactly a hasty pudding was.

It was as she raised her glass in that toast that it hit Santana. There could only be one Warbler that could have died. The only one that wasn't here, and had not been witnessed screaming at 8.47am that morning. The only one that they all loved so much that their death could hurt so badly. Wes.

It felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. If it was true, then the whole of this happy world was going to fall apart. It was the whole Kurt/Finn/Blaine scenario all over again, and this time, it was the Warblers that were going to be affected the most. This was going to destroy those Dalton boys more than the evil works of Hunter had; more even than the deaths of Kurt and Blaine. He was their leader; the person that they all turned to, without exception, in time of trouble. As for what this would do to Thad… well that didn't even bear thinking about. She stood there, paralysed as all around her people congratulated Nick and Jeff, laughed and joked. She couldn't let herself cry; couldn't show what she was thinking. Yet one person saw through her mask straight away. He had noticed her freeze up; noticed her face fall. The moment that he could, Sam walked over to her, and carefully, avoiding attracting any unwanted attention, he pulled her out of the loft and onto the landing.

"Okay, Santana, spill. There is something going on isn't there? I kind of know that there is because you have just been ignoring Brittany for the last few minutes. You _never_ ignore her. Just tell me - I promise that I am not going to go and tell anyone what you say…"

"Wes. It's Wes. He's the one. He isn't here - and the two other main Warblers that aren't here are the two that you and I saw screaming their heads off at JFK. It has to be him. He is the dead bird. Wes is dead, Sam…." Sam looked at her and at the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. He hated to admit it, but all that she was saying fitted the circumstances. "It was Carole that set me off. She started talking about spilt milk, and all I could think of was you dropping that glass."

"Ok, so what you are saying is that the Warblers all had a reaction to something happening to Wes? Ok, so maybe I get that, because of what happened to me… But what do you mean by a 'dead bird'?"

"Brittany had another dream. She saw a group of birds singing. One died, the others all screeched in pain and stopped singing…" She paused as before her eyes, Sam turned white. "Exactly. Birds equals Warblers. And at 8.47am, at least five of them, that we know of, screamed their heads off…"

"Ok, but it doesn't necessarily mean that Wes is dead….I mean it looks like it, but…oh my God, it's all happening again, only this time, mainly to them. I mean Wes is, or was, a great guy. He cared about everyone, especially his boys. If his is gone then…"

"We are looking at Warbler meltdown. Carnage…" She stopped at the sound of happy laughter from inside the loft. "You know, it just struck me - you and Rory are honorary Warblers, and although neither of you screamed, you both collapsed in some way. Ok, so we say nothing Sam, not yet. Not even to Puck and Quinn. We have to give those boys as long as we can before their whole world comes crashing down…"

So pasting on smiles, Sam and Santana went back into the loft. Sam headed over to Cooper, to draw on the strength of his 'big brother'; Santana into the warm arms of her girlfriend. They pretended that they knew nothing, but curiosity eventually got the better of them. Sam cornered Jeff whilst Nick was talking to Cooper and Grace, and asked him how he was feeling after the disturbances of the night. "A bit tired, but that doesn't matter, because now I have my Nicky. I could have lost him last night thanks to Gordon Clarington. This time, they had better lock him up and throw away the key. Anyway, once all of that was over, we just fell asleep in each others arms, and apart from my weird dream, everything was wonderful." Sam enquired about the weird dream and was told rather what he had expected - that Jeff had dreamt that he was sitting bolt upright in bed, Nick by his side in the same position, both of them screaming their heads off. Sam did not want to spoil the day for the blond boy by telling him that it wasn't a dream, but all too real.

Leaving Jeff as Nick returned, he passed Santana and whispered "It's seven of them." She nodded and headed in the direction of Sebastian and Dave. Sam went over to Ethan and Drew. He discovered that they had also had 'the dream', but they had realised it was real when they woke up later to find themselves slumped on top of each other in the bed. Furthermore, they had spent their lunch time catching up with the younger Warblers, and had uncovered something of their own. That just before nine that morning, they had all been woken up in their hostel dorm room by Jasper and Brad screaming at the top of their voices. None of the other boys had done so, and no-one knew why those two had. Sam knew instantly why those two had screamed and the others had not - they were the only two that had been Warblers under the leadership of Wes. As a result, the others lacked the close connection that seemed to be the cause of the screaming.

Across the room, Santana had less luck with Sebastian. He denied all knowledge of any kind of incident. Dave was no help either, saying that he had heard nothing. In the end, it was Grace that filled in the missing information. Sebastian might not remember it, but he certainly had been screaming. Cooper had gone to the bakery to buy fresh bagels when she had heard it resounding up through the floor. She had been about to run downstairs to see what was going on when it stopped, and so she decided not to disturb anyone or cause any upset by going to see what was going on. In fact, until Santana had mentioned it, she had forgotten altogether that it had even happened…

Sam and Santana met up again on the landing, after she had motioned to him to follow her. He spoke first. "Ok, so it gets worse. I make the total number of Warblers that screamed eleven…" He noticed that Santana was looking at him quizzically, so he explained. "Jasper and Brad - they were freshmen in the year that Wes was a senior. Ethan told me - they woke up all the newest Warblers, but none of those boys screamed. It can only be the Warblers that sang with Wes that are affected. I did think initially that this ruled out Sebastian, but then I remembered that he was in the Warblers in his freshman year, before his parents split and he moved to Paris…"

"Yeah, that is true - Jeff and Trent said as much to me once. And as if to prove it, he screamed, not that he is admitting it, giving us a full dozen screaming boys. It also tells me that we will soon have a dozen heartbroken young men on our hands. Thad doesn't bear thinking about; David has lost his best friend since childhood. Jeff will potentially fall apart, as will Nick and Trent. He means so much to all of them, darn it! Ok, I need to do this - FINNESSA! I need to see you right now, so move it! Finn! I know that you can hear me, and I am sure that Kurt and Blaine are far to tied up with something than you are at the moment…."

She felt the now familiar draught and turned round, with Sam, to see Finn, his arms folded across his chest, and a look of extreme anger on his face. "Firstly, if you ever call me by that name again, I will arrange for something to strike you hard from above. Secondly, yes, Kurt and Blaine are busy. But that is all that I can confirm to you until it is made official here. It should be by now, but there are issues…"

"His family?" said Sam, earning himself a stare from both Finn and Santana. "He told me in June, when I was keeping him company one night whilst the others were in Europe, that his family were strict and traditional, and did not like the fact that he was a Warbler. They also strongly disapproved of his friendships with those kind of boys."

"I really can't tell you," said Finn. "It would give you too much of a clue."

"It's ok," said Santana. "We get it. It has to be, what with the synchronised screaming and the dream…"

"Brittany?"

"Yeah, it was her, Finn. She had a dream about a dead bird. It's far too obvious to be anything else." Santana sighed, and then said "Give Kurt and Blaine our love - and the same goes to whatever is keeping them busy. We kind of love that too…"

"And we are going to miss it - we'll look after them for him as best as we can," said Sam, the smile on his face all to obviously a fake.

"I will tell them that…. It will be soon, tomorrow, I think." Then Finn was gone, leaving Sam to start crying as he pondered the loss of another friend. Santana, tears pricking her own eyes, wrapped her arms around him as she had done in the choir room when Finn died, and took him home to their own loft. There was no way that she could explain his tears; no way they could risk going back to the party now.

In the quiet of the deserted loft, and idea suddenly struck her. She headed for her tablet computer, and opened up the internet, heading straight to Google. She typed in Harvard news, and waited for the results to appear. Sam watched over her shoulder, a part of him hoping beyond hope that nothing would come up; that any moment now, Wes would call the boys next door to say that he had been made a Hasty Pudding; and that he was sorry that he hadn't been in touch earlier, but he had been dragged out by the other members to celebrate. He knew in his heart that it was a forlorn hope, but maybe, just maybe…

And then he heard Santana gasp and give a loud sigh immediately afterwards. He didn't want to look at the screen, but he had to. There it was, in black and white - STUDENT KILLED IN CYCLE CRASH. There were no names, but the bare facts were there. An Asian student, in his early twenties, just after 8.45am that morning. A drunk truck driver, killed too when he crashed after mowing down the cyclist. Shock of witnesses; nothing could be done to save him. No further details until family informed. Tonight, flowers at the crash site, including a bouquet from a local diner. And there as in confirmation, was the fact that another had been left on behalf of the Hasty Pudding club. That confirmed it. Wes was gone, and Santana suddenly found herself breaking down in sobs for the death of another friend.


	34. A Visit to Elizabeth

**A Visit to Elizabeth**

Wes knew nothing of what was going on in the earthly realm. Both Kurt and Blaine had realised that Santana had begun to add things up and was getting the right answer, but their sole concern right now was the welfare of Wes. Even though he had known what was coming, death had still come as quite a shock. The more he thought about things, the more he was reminded of Thad; of his best friend David; and his boys, the Warblers, and how his passing was going to affect them all. He had moments in that real, but not real, Senior Commons at Dalton when he felt calm, serene and at peace with it all. Seconds later and he would be howling in anguish as he realised something. That he wouldn't be at Trent's wedding to Rory; wouldn't see Cooper's opening night on Broadway; wouldn't be there to cheer Thad as he graduated from college. Of course, he knew that those thoughts were silly - he would be there, albeit in a different form. But the idea that he would not be able to hug his Thaddie again until the day the latter died, or the fact that Uncle Wes would never get to hold any of the children of his flock - that was all too true and he felt himself fall apart over that one. Each time he did, Blaine, or Kurt, or both of them would wrap their arms around him until his tears abated. They brought him lunch, then some of Kurt's homemade cookies - finally a steaming mug of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows floating in it. They all made him feel better, but their was a constant ache in his heart. What would happen to his Warblers now? Who would they turn to for guidance now that he was gone?

He had been expecting the call to see Elizabeth since he had arrived, and when it came, he happily followed Kurt and Blaine out of Dalton, along a bland, non-descript corridor, lined with door made of dark wood, each one bearing a name plate - the first one he noticed was Arkansas - he caught glimpses of California, Dakota (North), Idaho and Michigan before he was lead through the door marked Ohio, into yet another long corridor, with the names of towns, cities and even counties marked on yet more doors, all once again in alphabetical order.

"You will be glad to hear," said Kurt, as Wes stared along the seemingly infinite corridor, "that my Mom's office is right here." There indeed was a door marked _Elizabeth Hummel - Out of State and Special Cases._ He wondered which one of those he was. Kurt knocked and opened the door, before pushing Wes in on his own. "She will call the two of us back when it is time," said Kurt, and closed the door again.

Wes found himself standing in an empty outer office, with an empty desk right in front of him. "Hello Wes," came a voice from his side, and he spun round to see that the main office was to his left. Elizabeth Hummel looked every bit as serene as she had always done, as she rose up from the chair behind her desk and walked towards him. She walked right up to him, and took him into her arms. And Wes wept again, the tears flowing in a seemingly endless stream as his heart shattered once more. She held him as he cried, knowing that this would not be the last time he did so, but from now on, it wouldn't be as often. Whether he knew it or not, his heart was starting to heal.

Once his tears had stopped, she motioned to him to sit down on a small sofa that sat to one side of her desk. She said nothing as she poured him a cup of coffee, and then handed him along with it a plate bearing a piece of cherry pie. That was pretty much his favourite dessert… "I know everything Wes. It is one of the perks, and the drawbacks of this job." As he set to work on demolishing it, she spoke again. "As of yet, none of your friends officially know that you are dead. Your immediate family do, but your mother will not call anyone until the morning, and then it will be only David and Santana - they were the last call and last text you received. However…. Brittany had a dream about a 'bird' that died. She told Santana who thought nothing of it - until all of your fellow Warblers began screaming at 8.47am." She stopped as Wes gaped at her in shock. "You were there closest soul friend in each and every case. As Sam was affected by Blaine, so all of them reacted. Santana has worked this out and the only one that nobody has heard from…"

"…is me. Ergo, I am the 'dead bird' from the dream."

"Exactly Wes. Santana has worked this out and told Sam. So they know, but not for certain. They won't tell anyone. They don't want to be the ones to ruin everybody's day. They are smart enough to know that there will be enough pain when the whole thing does come out…"

Wes could only nod, his face downcast. "It is going to hurt my boys so much. They've had so much to deal with already in the last year - losing Kurt and Blaine; the court case dragging all the Hunter stuff up all over again. The injuries that some of them have suffered, all of that pain. We finally got to something good, something hopeful, something that could help us all heal - and it all gets shattered again. I don't know how much more of this they can all take…"

"They are stronger than you think. I am afraid that they are hardened now to loss and suffering. Yes, they will go through a period of grief that will pull every one of them apart all over again. They will cry and keep crying. But this time, they will have one thing that they did not have when Kurt and Blaine died. The knowledge that they will still see you, only as an angel. If you had known that when they died, would it have been as bad for you to live with? As soon as your wings have grown, they will be able to see you."

"How soon?"

"Based on Kurt and Blaine, I would say Wednesday at the latest - quite possibly Tuesday if you are fortunate. I don't know how much of the process you are aware of…"

"I know that the pain in my back is not as a result of the accident, and that it is my wings starting to grow. Blaine told me that it was the worst pain imaginable, and Kurt just nodded. So I guess that things are going to be pretty rough for the next couple of days."

"Finn said to me when his were growing in that he would rather have had to give birth than to have grown wings… I am not going to lie to you and say that the pain is nothing, but it will be worth it. I have a feeling that your wings are going to be truly magnificent. Your record on earth is untarnished; you do not even carry the minor infractions that Finn, Kurt and Blaine all carried. Yours should be pure, like your heart. After they have grown, then we can discuss in more detail what I am about to say to you now. You would have seen the empty desk in the room as you came in - it is intended for my assistant. That job requires someone knowledgeable, caring and fair, who can handle paperwork, and has organisational skills second to none. So, you will start in a few weeks, once you are settled in, have mastered your wings and have more time." Wes was just staring at her, open mouthed. "As I say, we will discuss this further when the worst of your transition is over. All I will say is that you are the ideal candidate for the job, and I look forward to working with you. Just now, I think that it is time for the boys to take you to your new home."

Wes was still in a daze as they wandered back along the corridor towards the Senior Commons. He had just been given a job is assistant to a senior angel, and he had been in heaven for less than 10 hours. "You are perfect for the job - that was why Blaine suggested it to my mom. He knows that you like nothing better than to be kept busy, and helping her will certainly ensure that. In time, you might end up being asked to take up the same level of job as her - even to take her job when she gets moved up, as she will in time," said Kurt.

"It will be like being back in the Warblers at Dalton, with you as our leader and boss," laughed Blaine.

"I guess it would be. I'd be starting with you two and Finn, and one day I would have a full compliment of Warblers, all of them with wings." As he said the word wings, Wes cringed as a shot of extreme pain coursed through his back.

"Getting worse, isn't it," said Blaine, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"So, we will show you your new room, and then you are coming with us to our place until the wing growth is over. No-one is ever left alone whilst they grow in - and that is official policy," said Kurt. "Finn stayed at my side for nearly three days whilst mine grew in; I sat with Blaine all the time that his took to grow. So, for the first time in recorded history, Wes Montgomery is going to allow other people to take care of him. I know that will be hard for you, but it is the least that we can do to repay you for all the times that you have cared for us, and all the other Warblers over the years."

By this time they had reached the foot of the main staircase at Dalton. Wes stopped and stared again at their handiwork. It really was just like the real thing, but at a set moment in time - that day when a spy had arrived and by chance had asked Blaine where everyone was going. The moment when destiny had brought two boys together in that throng. He did notice that it was all too perfect - the crack in the fourth step up was missing. He knew it was there in the real Dalton because he had seen what had caused it. A box of gym weights that had been too much for their owner to carry and had been dropped heavily onto the step. But he said nothing, because all things considered, who would not want perfection if they could have it? They climbed the stairs and then walked along the landing, eventually reaching the start of the corridor in which the Warblers had always traditionally had their dorms. The dorms were all there, in their place, but maybe the corridor was just a little longer and had a few more doors - he wasn't certain. Still, he couldn't help but smile as they passed room 36 - he knew who had always slept in there. The door to room 37 was now marked with the name Hummel-Warbler, so he knew that had stayed the same, which meant…

The door of room 38 was marked with the name Montgomery; there was no sign of the name Thompson, which was the first big difference he had spotted in the whole school. That was something that he could smile about. "Of course," said Kurt, "in time the name Harwood will appear under yours, Wes. David will be accommodated elsewhere in the corridor, most likely room 41, Thad's old single." Wes nodded as Blaine opened the door. As it swung open, he did not see his old dorm room, with the two single beds, the slightly messy book shelves and the slight scent of sweat. Instead he was looking at a loft apartment, with a view towards what appeared to be lower Manhattan. He could only stare in surprise at the parquet floor, the sleek modern kitchen, the big leather couches and the grand piano he had only ever dreamed of owning.

"Do you like it?" said Blaine quietly. "We tried our best to remember all the things that you ever said that you liked style wise. Modern, but classic. Timeless. I remember that you said that you had always wished that your parents had a piano when you were growing up, so that you could have learnt how to play. Well, now you have the piano, and I can teach you, if you'd like…" Wes nodded, his eyes starting to fill with happy tears.

"The bonus is that when Thad gets here, I think that he will like this too," added Kurt softly. "Until then, you will be ok here - we've given you a study through that alcove, and a couple of bedrooms upstairs, with a big bathroom."

Wes nodded, but his eyes had landed on two things in the room - what appeared to be a copy of Jeff's group drawing of the Warblers, the nude one he had been working on all summer, on the wall - and on a small table by the couch, a framed photo of Wes with his arms wrapped tightly round a smiling Thad. "It's perfect boys. I couldn't have planned it better myself," said Wes - then he grimaced as the stabbing pain shot through his back once more.

He found himself, ten minutes later, ensconced in the spare bedroom in Kurt and Blaine's loft, his back now giving him continuous pain. He was lying on his left side, Blaine sitting by him, holding his hand. There was nothing that they could really do to ease his pain; all that they could do was sit by his side and let him know they were there. Wes could see now why Finn had said that he would rather have given birth. It felt as if a line of red hot skewers were being driven into his spine, each one tipped with a spiked razor blade. Every nerve ending jangled; his head pounded. He shut his eyes tightly, knowing that he just had to endure it. He felt a weight on the bed behind him, and Blaine's weight shifting on the bed in front of him. Two sets of arms were suddenly embracing him, and he knew that he was now sandwiched between his two friends, both lying by him, and holding him tight. He felt so loved and so secure, and that feeling allowed him to drift off to sleep, and find some much needed rest.


	35. Let the heartache begin

**Let the heartache begin**

Monday August 25th dawned slightly overcast in New York. The blue skies of the previous weekend had faded into memory. The two lofts in Bushwick were peaceful once again - of the visitors, only Puck and Quinn remained in the larger, and Tina was still staying with Mike next door. At 8am, no-one was stirring - the party the night before had been late in finishing, and by some strange twist of fortune, none of them had work to go to that day. Santana had dozed off at 4am, long after everyone else. She had a deep and justified sense of foreboding about the day ahead, and that had kept her awake for a long time. Only exhaustion had finally allowed her body to find rest.

At the same time in Boston, two cars were making their way up the driveway of the crematorium. The Montgomery family were conducting a funeral for a son in the traditional way that they had always done - soon after death, and close family only. Friends in high places had allowed the Montgomery family to circumvent the law and ignore the 48 hour delay after death. There would be no friends, and certainly not those Warbler boys that he was so obsessed with. To ensure that, his mother had taken the decision that only once the ceremony was completed would she call the last two people that had contacted him - as she had suspected, one of them was that awful Thompson boy, that Wes had befriended when they had been neighbours after that ill advised move back in Ohio - he had been a bad influence on her son from day one, as had his mother been; the other was someone called Santana Lopez - a girlfriend she hoped, but not with any kind of joy. He should have been married by now, as his two elder half siblings had been. It should all have been done and finalised - after all, his bride had been chosen for him in the shape of his cousin Michelle. She would be at the cremation, along with her parents. Only one of his half-brothers had been in the country yesterday, and they had decided between them that it was too far for him to travel for the service - it would have taken most of the day to fly from Seattle to Boston. That was how the funeral of Wes Montgomery; Head Warbler, much loved by all his friends, was attended by only six people - his mother, an uncle, three aunts and his cousin Michelle. His father had an appointment that could not be cancelled, and so had absented himself. For Michelle, this was such a sad ending to her cousin's life; even sadder was the knowledge that his ashes would end up in a jar at the back of a shelf in a closet back home. This was not what he would have wanted, and if she had anything to do with it, it was not the final ending that he was going to get…

It was just before 7am in L.A. when David Thompson's phone began to ring, rousing him from his sleep slowly. He blinked his eyes open, then realised that the ring tone that was playing was the Queen song _You're my Best Friend_. It was unusual for Wes to call this early, but he hadn't called the night before to let them know who he had got on at the Hasty Pudding Club, as he had promised, so he answered as quickly as he could with a "Hey…"

The voice he heard was not the one that he had expected. He recognised it of course, the tone of condescension the same as that she had used whenever he had been in her presence. He listened to her brief words, so short and so cruel.

"David? Mrs Montgomery here. Wes has had an accident, a fatal one. Tragic loss for his family."

He sat bolt upright in bed, unable to comprehend or take in, what she had just said. "Fatal? Do you mean…"

"Yes, of course, what else could I mean!? I have just left the funeral service. Please inform all his other Dalton _friends._ There are to be no flowers or cards sent. He is gone, and that is it. Goodbye."

David sat there, the phone still held to his ear, even though she had hung up, staring at the wall in front of him.

Wes was dead.

This had to be a nightmare. All he had to do was lie back down, close his eyes and wake up again.

Something was stopping him - the fact that he was too wide awake to do that.

His hands trembling, he pinched himself sharply on the thigh, and felt it. He could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes. He realised that he was rocking back and forth now, the phone falling from his hand as he wondered what he should do. That was when he suddenly saw that there was someone else in the room.

"Blaine, please, please tell me it isn't true. Please, it can't be. I only saw him on Saturday at the wedding…." Blaine did not speak, but his face gave the game away.

Blaine's silence spoke volumes to David. The rocking motion carried on, but now he also began to shake. Tears were streaming unchecked down his face at the sheer enormity of what had just happened. In a few terse words he had been informed that his best friend, the young man that he had known for most of his life, was gone. And they had had the funeral, and…oh my God, Thad. Poor, poor Thad. He was going to have to tell him. It wasn't right, it wasn't fair, it wasn't….

And suddenly the room reverberated to a howl of anguish as David's brain went into meltdown. The noise came from his heart, ripped in two; his soul, torn asunder by the loss of his best friend; and from the stress that he now felt. It felt like the end of the world. Everything good was gone, all of the point, all of the worth. He ached everywhere from his head to his toes. The howling did not stop, despite the fact that his throat felt red raw. He knew now how Blaine must have felt when he realised that Kurt was dead - bleak, black, desolate. He could see Blaine now, tears on his face, wanting nothing more than to rush over and hold him, and comfort him, but denied the chance by his angelic state.

Then the door was flung open and there he stood; his eyes wide, his hair wild, speaking but not so that David could hear, his ears still ringing from his howls, which were still going on. Seeing him, feeling his hands upon his shoulders, just made it all the worse. He had to tell him. He had to tell him that the man he loved was dead. That truth stunned him into silence, placed him into a state of even greater shock. He stared at Blaine and pleaded with him through his eyes - tell him for me. He didn't want to shift the burden, but at that moment, he couldn't even speak, let alone form the words that would shatter all of Thad's hopes and dreams for good…

When he had agreed to go to L.A. to support David when he found out, Blaine had been well aware that he would be stepping into a war zone. He knew how close David was to Wes. They had met first at the ages of five and six respectively; had more or less grown up together, with Wes always happier in Mrs Thompson's kitchen than anywhere in his own home. She was only too happy to have the quiet, smart young boy in the house. He was a good friend to David and was always looking out for him. His parents were another matter altogether - snobbish, aloof and more concerned with his two half-brothers and their own reputation than their youngest son. They looked down on the Thompsons, and they knew this - but they would never take that out on Wes. For the best part of 15 years, the two had nearly always been constant companions, only separated for long twice; when Wes was in his first year at Dalton as a boarder - his family had sent him there and promptly moved to Massachusetts - and since Wes had gone to college. Now a gulf that was far wider than a continent was going to separate them, and Blaine had anticipated quite correctly that there was going to be carnage.

Thad added to the problem. Wes had, in the knowledge that he was about to die, given him everything that he had ever dreamed of since the day they had met, more or less. He had given him hopes that would more or less be dashed to pieces that day. Somehow, Blaine had also known that it would fall to him to tell him. As Thad desperately tried to get David out of his trance like state, to make him speak or at least acknowledge his presence, Blaine took a deep breath, and then spoke.

"Thad, he's in shock. He just found out some very bad news, and he has shut down. He will be ok, but just now, he needs to have a moment to let his body recover. There is no purpose in trying to get him to respond, because he won't. If I am being honest, you are actually part of the problem just now…" Those words, sounding so harsh, got him Thad's attention. He spun round, a look of distress on his face. Blaine looked at him, and knew that he was about to destroy his life. "Thad, he got a phone call. I'm afraid that at around 8.47am yesterday morning, there was an accident. It was a serious one, and it turned out to be fatal, I'm sorry to say. I wish to God that I didn't have to tell you this, Thad, but the victim of that accident was Wes. He's dead, Thad, and he's with us…"

Blaine half expected Thad to collapse to the ground in a dead faint, but he didn't. Instead he stumbled backwards to end up sitting on the end of David's bed, his eyes downcast. There was absolute silence in the room, broken solely by the sound of two people breathing. "8.47am yesterday - well that explains why I screamed my head off in the restroom at JFK - my soul knew that it had lost its mate - I mean, he was my soulmate, wasn't he?" Blaine nodded, tears once again forming in his eyes, knowing exactly the pain that Thad would be in from his own experience.

"I screamed too," said David, all of a sudden. "At the check-in desks. Everyone thought that I was mad, including Santana, but it was because…"

"You were his best friend David. I was the person that he loved in secret. We both had a connection to him that was strong, and so, like Sam with Blaine, we felt it the moment he died."

Blaine let Thad finish, and then said, "It wasn't just the two of you - at the last count at least ten other former Warblers screamed - their bond to him was weaker, but it was there…"

Thad looked up, and smiled wanly. "So Niff, Trent, Beats, Flint, Seb, Ethan, Drew and…"

"Jasper and Brad."

"Wow, all screaming for Wes at the same time…if we had all been in the same room, it would have been scary. So, how did it happen, Blaine? I need to know. He didn't suffer, I hope…"

"No Thad, he didn't suffer. A drunk driver of a 18 wheeler truck hit him - it was almost instant, and he felt nothing. He's safe, with me, Kurt and Finn, growing his wings as we speak…"

"When can we see him?" interjected David. "I just need to see that he is safe with you, I think, and then…"

"Either late today, or more likely tomorrow. He is every bit as anxious to see all of you. He feels so bad that he has left you all now. He is missing every one of you already…"

"What do we need to do now, Blaine?" said Thad. "Has that woman just called David, or is she going to call Dalton, or what?"

"I'm afraid that she is only going to call David and one other person - and as unlikely as it sounds, that other person is Santana. David was the last person to call Wes; she was the last person to send him a text. Kurt is with her now - and before you worry, Finn and Elizabeth are with Wes. Basically, we are going to get her to go over and break the news to Niff, so that reduces the number of people you need to call by two. I guess that we could also get Kurt to go to Washington and tell Burt, and then he and Rory could tell Trent."

"I should be doing it Blaine," said David. "I know I should be. I was his deputy. It's just…I just can't say it. I just can't break them as I have been broken…"

"I'll do it," said Thad. "It's the least that I can do for Wes. Blaine, could you maybe tell Sebastian in person? He and Wes really bonded whilst they were sharing that room in Bushwick, and I have a feeling that he is going to feel this far more now than he might have done a year ago…"

"I can go one better than that," said Blaine. "If Santana knows, then Sam knows. He can go to Murray Hill and tell Sebastian. If what you are saying is true, then chances are he is going to need someone with a physical presence to hold him up, and that isn't me…"

There was silence after that last statement. It reminded them all of one inescapable truth. Wes was going to be like Blaine now - there, but not. They would still be able to talk to him, to ask his advice, to hear him speak and sing. But there would be no more shoulder bumps, no more hugs and for Thad, no more kisses. Another wave of grief washed over David, and he began to sob again, softly moaning one word over and over again - Wes. He had always depended on him for back up, and he had never felt so alone as he did right now. Sure, he still had Thad as a roommate, and they were a lot closer as a result than they had been back at Dalton, but Wes was his oldest friend and he had always pictured him being there as they aged. He didn't know how he was going to cope with his own sense of loss, let alone deal with Thad's. He had it worse than him, he knew that. He had just got Wes the way that he had always dreamed of, and then bam, he was gone. Life was too, too cruel…

Thad meanwhile was sitting calmly, more or less dry eyed, as if none of it was happening. Blaine was worried by that. He knew exactly what Thad was doing, as he sat there, a fraternal arm around David's shoulder. He was hiding his feelings away, by concentrating instead on what he thought was his duty - to be strong. He was avoiding facing up to the reality of the situation. Blaine knew that Thad was not coming to heaven, but it suddenly occurred to him that none of them had asked Elizabeth about the other list, the one that Hunter had been on. What if that was where Thad was heading? If it was, it would break his own heart, and destroy Wes…


	36. Breaking Niff

**Breaking Niff**

It was just after 10am in Bushwick when Santana's phone rang. She was up, and sitting at the kitchen table with Sam, Puck and Quinn, having just finished breakfast. Rachel had headed out to do some shopping; Brittany was still sleeping, and had looked so peaceful that Santana couldn't bring herself to wake her up. She picked up her phone, only half paying attention to it as she listened to the story that Puck was telling. It was only as she was about to accept the call that she saw the words 'Warbler in Chief' on the phone. She started at that - knowing what she did, it could not possibly be him.

"Santana, are you ok?" said Quinn, who had noticed the expression on her face.

"It's Wes…" she said, trying to sound casual and unperturbed, but all too aware that as she had said those words, Sam's face had fallen. She accepted the call, and answered with "Hey, Montgomery…"

It was of course a woman that spoke - his mother on her second and final call. Her words the same, if not shorter. The same statement about cards and flowers, then the words "Don't call this phone again - I am throwing the sim card away," and then she hung up. All in all, it appeared to Santana that Mrs Montgomery was a rather unpleasant person.

She looked up at the people around the table. Sam was trying and failing to look as if he knew nothing. Quinn had a look on her face that she had seen so many times before - a mixture of concern and curiosity. As for Puck, well she knew exactly what he was going to do next….

"Ok, so that was short, sweet and totally silent on your part. Which is not like you at all. What have you done to Wes?"

Sam looked at him, wanting to shout at him, but he kept silent and let Santana speak. "It wasn't Wes… It was his phone, but not him…"

"That makes no sense at all," said Quinn.

"Remember the attack of the screaming Warblers yesterday morning? It wasn't just five of them - it was a dozen of them, all at the same time. It was like Sam and the milk…"

Quinn continued to regard Santana with a raised eyebrow, but Puck got it, and went as white as a sheet. "Oh, my God. You mean…" Santana clicked on her tablet, which was still sitting on the table, where she had left it the night before. It was still open at the relevant page, and so she turned it round to face Puck and Quinn. "Holy hell….so that call…"

"Was his mother - I was the last person to text him, it turns out, so she called to let me know, and to ask me to tell his friends as she was far too busy to do so. Oh, and she casually mentioned that his funeral finished ten minutes ago…"

"It what!?" exploded Puck, the corners of his eyes a little moist. Quinn was crying silently by now, and Sam had placed an arm around her. "Ok, so I am wondering now how the two of you worked this out; even thought he might be dead."

"Brittany," said Sam. "She had a dream about birds; one died and all of the others started to screech in pain…"

"And I put two and two together and got four," said Santana. "The only Warbler that was missing in action, had not made contact last night, was Wes. The rest of them had screeched out as one… I wish that I had been wrong. He was such a good guy…" Santana broke off as she started to cry again.

"One of the best," said Puck, wiping at his own eyes, and staring past Quinn and Sam, the former with her head now buried in Sam's chest. "I hate to say this, but I think I am getting used to death. Finn killed me; Kurt broke my heart; Blaine was a tragedy. Now, all I can think is - who is next? Wes dying - it hurts, but maybe because we weren't as close, it isn't quite as bad…"

"It is going to break their hearts though - every one of the Warblers," said Sam. "Nick, Jeff, Trent - all of them. He was their friend, their big brother. He was the guy that they all ran to when life threw them a curveball."

"And then there is Thad," said Santana. "Wes finally got his act together and kissed him on the night of the wedding. He was so happy on the way to the airport, and now… All I know is, he and David are going to be devastated."

At that point, they all felt a familiar draught, and Kurt appeared in the room, a grim expression on his face.

"Is he with you?" said Sam. "Is he ok?"

"He's in pain because he is growing his wings, but apart from that, he's as ok as you would expect. He is worrying himself sick about his boys though." Kurt turned to Santana and spoke again. "You need to go and see Niff. It has to be you that tells them because David and Thad - well it isn't pretty in L.A. Sam, I need you to go and tell Sebastian face to face. He can't hear this over the phone. It is going to be bad for them all…"

So it was that Sam put on his jacket and headed in the direction of Murray Hill, making a quick call to Cooper first to let him know he was coming, and that he needed to speak to him. He had decided that he could do with some company for the task he had to undertake, and would welcome his own 'big brother' being at his side. He could also ask him to ensure that Sebastian did not go out and vanish into the maelstrom that was New York on a Monday morning.

Quinn stayed in the loft, and made a first phone call to Rachel, asking her to head home. She then called Artie, and told him she needed to see him as a matter of urgency, knowing he would head over at once. Finally, she called Kitty, still settling in to her new home in the city with Marley - she was busy and tried to beg off coming, but Quinn pleaded with her, and she agreed in the end, also agreeing to bring Marley and indeed Ryder with her, if she could find him. She would wait until they were all there, then break the news to them altogether. Then, she realised who else she should call, and she began to dial a familiar number in Lima; found herself asking to speak to Mr Schue. She didn't need to do any of the things she had set out to do, but she found that if she kept herself busy, then it stopped her thinking about what had happened. Because being hit by a massive truck, travelling at speed - that was something that was too horrific for her to even contemplate.

In the meantime, after quickly splashing their faces with cold water, Santana and Puck had crossed the landing to go and knock on the door of the other loft. The door was opened by Mike, who greeted them warmly, and informed them that he and Tina were just about to head out, once she was finally ready. Puck took him to one side, and into the kitchen. Santana stood in silence, just listening - then heard a gasp and a strangled "No!". Looking in through the kitchen door, she saw Puck facing her, holding Mike to his chest, the latter's shoulders shaking as he cried quietly. She had forgotten that this news would be hard on Mike too - he had known Wes from the Asian summer camps they had both attended since they had both been in middle school. She hoped that Tina would still be a while getting ready, as she could potentially be ten times worse than Mike in her reaction, despite knowing Wes less well. Then again, she would still be so much better than….

"Hey Satan," said Nick, suddenly appearing from the direction of the living room. "Why are you skulking in the hallway of my marital home? And where did you and Sam vanish to last night? Don't think that we didn't notice your sudden disappearance just before we started opening the wedding gifts. By the way, thanks for the warning label on your box - we like them, even though they made Jeff go bright red, and you made sure to get latex free, so thanks. Ok, so now you are saying nothing, and that is scaring me…"

"Sorry Nick, I was miles away. Sam and I had something that we needed to deal with last night, and it took longer than we thought… Look, I need to talk to you and Jeff about something important, and it really can't wait. So, could you fetch your husband and meet me in the living room ASAP - I'd be really grateful…" Nick raised his eyebrows, but knew better than to disobey the wishes of Santana, so headed off to get Jeff from the bedroom. She made her way into the living room, and sat in the armchair. She remembered this room so well from the time she had lived here, and could recall the day that Sue Sylvester had walked around that corner when they had expected Blaine… She could hear Nick and Jeff laughing happily, the honeymoon period well and truly under way. She felt terrible that she was about to shatter that contentment with a few words. But she had no option. It had to be done.

Presently, the two newlyweds were sat in front of her on the couch. Jeff's face was full of a smile that showed his delight, his hand holding Nick's lightly. Their wedding rings were catching the sunlight that was coming in the windows as the clouds broke, and they looked the very image of happiness, as if they were on a Hallmark card. She was slightly curious as to what Jeff had meant when he whispered to Nick "She hasn't found out, has she?" but she let it pass. It was now, or never.

"Guys, I'm sorry to come over and disturb you this morning, but there is something that I need to tell you. It isn't easy for me to say this, and you have no idea how much I wish that I didn't have to…"

"What is it Santana? What's happened?" said Nick, and she noticed that Jeff's grip on his hand had got tighter.

She took a deep breath, and said "There was an accident yesterday morning…in Harvard. I'm sorry, but it was Wes…and he didn't make it…"

As she looked across at the two young men, she saw that they had frozen. They didn't even appear to be breathing. Then Nick started to laugh. Santana had heard of hysterical reactions, but this was new territory for her. "Nice one, Santana. The thing is, if Wes had died yesterday, we would have been told by someone long before now. We would know…"

"Yesterday morning at 8.47am, the vast majority of the Warblers, including the two of you, screamed. I spoke to Jeff, and he thought that it was a dream, but I can assure you that it wasn't. I saw David do it in the middle of the concourse at JFK. Mike and Tina witnessed Beats and Flint do it in this very loft. Sam saw Thad. Puck saw Trent. Grace heard Sebastian. That took place at the exact moment that Wes died. It wasn't a dream…"

"It was a nightmare," said Jeff, in a barely audible voice. "Did you dream it too, Nicky?" He turned to face his husband, who was now no longer in denial.

"Why has it taken us so long to find out? I mean, why did no-one think to tell us?"

"His mother decided to hold the information back until after the funeral. She didn't want anyone but family there."

"They've had the funeral…that's wrong. Wes would hate that…he'd have hated that," said Jeff, his first tears starting to fall.

As for Nick, his head was bowed, his chest heaving as his breaths came harder. "He's gone. He's really gone… What do we do now? Where do we go for help, for advice, for comfort? He can't be gone, he just…." Tears were now pouring down Nick's face, his sobs building. Then suddenly he screamed out "WES! WESSIE! We need you. Please come back. Please, please come back, we need you…" before he broke down in even more gulping sobs, falling into the safety of Jeff's arms.

Santana could only watch helplessly as Nick fell apart. She saw Jeff holding himself together, whispering words of comfort in his husband's ear as he tried to soothe him. All that she could hear above the sound of tears was a whine of "Come back" - the one thing that Wes could not possibly do for them. Mike suddenly appeared from the kitchen, his own face red and blotchy, discarding his coat and letting it fall on the floor as he went. Santana suddenly became aware that Tina was crying in the kitchen, and she had no idea how long she had been doing it for. Mike sat on the opposite side of Nick from Jeff, and wrapped his arms around both boys. It did not look as if Nick was even aware that he had arrived at first, but gradually his sobs were getting quieter.

Once they had nearly gone, Jeff spoke. "He can't come back, Nicky, no matter how much I am sure he would like to. We haven't lost him though, not really - he has just changed his form. He will be an angel now, like Blaine and Kurt and Finn. He will be with them, and they will be looking after him. We will see him again; as soon as he can make it, if I know Wes. I wonder what his wings will look like? It is going to be so hard to know that he has left us here on earth, and he will never be able to give us one of his special hugs again until we die. But we will still see him…"

Nick had stopped sobbing now, and he looked up, his misery etched on his face, straight into his husband's eyes. "We will, won't we… it won't be the same though. It just isn't fair. He was so happy, happier than he had ever been… Oh my God, Thad! Poor Thaddie…" Nick's tears came again, and Jeff joined him, but he stayed so calm and collected.

"At least he got a kiss before he died," said Santana. Jeff looked at her, blinking back his tears, and nodded.

"I don't know if that will make it better or worse for him," said Mike. "It might just break him," he added so quietly that he was a bit uncertain if anyone else in the room had actually heard him.

Suddenly, Nick took a big sniff, and rallied. "Wes wouldn't want us to be so upset. He would want us to grieve, then pick ourselves back up and carry on. He would say that we shouldn't let his going spoil our happiness. He would…" He wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, and tried to smile.

Jeff looked at him, and allowed himself the same small smile. "Feeling better now, Nicky?"

"Yes Jeffie. I am so sad, but Wes wouldn't want us to cry for hours on end. He would hate that."

"That's true…but if you are finished falling apart, please can I have my turn?" Nick nodded, and Jeff buried his face in his husband's shoulder and sobbed his heart out. Nick put his arm around him, and looked up at Mike, sitting beside him, tears still rolling down his cheeks. With his other arm he pulled Mike into a hug too. After all, the three of them had one thing in common that day - a shared grief for the loss of a very good friend.


	37. Tears from a Robin

**Tears from a Robin**

Kurt had not stayed in New York as he had another errand to run. He was on his way to his father's office in Washington DC, hoping that he would not be busy with a visitor when he got there. He did not want to have to wait too long - as much as he loved Finn, he didn't want to leave Wes alone with him for too long. He was in luck, finding his dad sitting at his desk reviewing a stack of government papers. He was reading them in the priority order that Rory had already sorted them into - some he had merely summarised the main points off and had already filed the document away. It was a system that worked well for them - Burt had often said that Rory could just take over entirely and nobody would notice the difference. The young man in question was sat in the outer office, his hands flying over the keyboard as he typed up a speech he had prepared for Burt to give at a dinner that evening. Carole had been there with him, but she had just left, to head back to the small apartment that served as Burt's Washington home. Into all of this harmony Kurt arrived. His dad felt the telltale draught from his wings, and looked up, a smile on his face. "Hey buddy," said Burt, "what brings you here?"

"Bad news dad, of the worst kind. There has been a death. I'm afraid that there was an accident yesterday morning, and it claimed the life of Wes…"

Burt closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew the impact this was going to have. He opened his eyes again, and said "Someone has to tell Trent, don't they? And it would be better to hear it face to face from me and his fiancé rather than down a phone line."

"Exactly dad. I've just been to New York to see that the news is broken properly there. Santana was actually called by Mrs Montgomery and told to let people know, as she did not have time to waste on his friends - and also to let everybody know that they have had the funeral…"

"Already! That's not right. He meant so much to so many…"

"The Montgomery family tradition is close family only. They would all have been banned anyway"

"Ok, so I take it he is with you? Silly question, I know, but if he died yesterday, he'd have been in Massachusetts…"

"Yeah, he's with Finn just now. I'm running about from place to place and Blaine is sitting with David and Thad - from what I can gather, David is completely devastated and Thad is far too calm. After I am done here, I am going to go and tell Mercedes, so that she can go and take care of them."

Burt nodded. "I guess that we'd better let Rory know then." He got up and called his assistant in, just at the moment that he had finished typing the speech.

Five minutes later, Rory was crying in Burt's arms, both for the loss of Wes and for the pain that this was going to cause Trent. He knew that if he felt so lost and sad about Wes, then he was going to literally fall apart. He had known Wes far longer after all - had seen him as a big brother, somebody to try and emulate. Trent had struggled through life until he had come to Dalton, and even though he had not officially been a Warbler in his freshman year, Wes had allowed him to sit in on rehearsals, even though Louis, the then Head Warbler, hadn't really approved. It had allowed Wes to keep an eye on the young Trent; they had talked, and Wes had shown him that it was ok to be open about his sexuality at Dalton in a way that it hadn't been at his previous school. He had given the same talk to Jeff earlier that year, and would go on to give it to Blaine the next. He in return had shown Wes that he had strong morals and principals that he would not deviate from; he had done that by refusing the steroids. He also had proved he had the ability to lead, taking over the running of the Warblers in the aftermath of Hunter. When months later, at their graduation day, Wes had returned and told him how proud he was of him, Trent had glowed with pride, so Nick had told Rory. The thought of Niff made him cry all the more; at least Wes had died in the knowledge that they were married; that he and Trent were engaged.

He knew that he had to be the one to tell Trent. He could not abdicate the responsibility to either Burt or Kurt. He knew that it was going to break him, and that time was of the essence. It could only be a matter of hours before the details came out on the internet. If Trent found out after that had happened he would feel let down and betrayed, and that would not be a good start for any engaged couple. He knew that he only had classes that day until 11am. He could be back home by then, waiting for him. The bearer of news that neither of them had expected to hear for decades yet.

Rory sent a text to Trent, asking him to head home straight after class as Burt needed to see him. He had used the easiest piece of subterfuge available to him. Burt had been trying to secure Trent the chance to shadow some congressional officials on a work experience basis, to tie in with his college course. He would return home thinking that was what Burt wanted to talk to him about. Meanwhile, Burt had made a couple of quick phone calls, explaining that he had urgent personal business, a bereavement, to deal with, and that he would be absent in all likelihood for the remainder of the day. Then he and Rory left, the latter still making sure that they had all the documents that Burt might need, and more importantly, a copy of the speech printed off. He was determined that Burt would be there, even if he had to strong arm him into a cab. His instincts would be to support him and Trent, but this meeting was vitally important and on a subject that was dear to Wes' heart - the legal system and the elimination of the inherent injustices within it. He would use that as a blackmail tool if he had to. That, and the fact that the guest speaker was one of Carole's favourite film stars - she might never get the opportunity to meet him again if Burt decided not to go.

Trent hurried home from his class that day. He was glad to be back in the swing of things, not that he had been out of the loop for as long as his friends, having spent six weeks of his summer vacation making up on work he had missed due to Hunter's trial, and having to attend two funerals the year before. It still seemed strange to him that he was now a year ahead of his contemporaries at Dalton in college, but he had never been sold on the concept of a gap year. Nick and Jeff had needed it, it had been right for them and Sebastian, but not for him. This year was going to be good, he could feel it already - Rory, his beautiful fiancé would be with him at school on certain days of the week, as Burt had promised. The fact that his engagement ring had been noticed at once by two of the girls in his class had been a cause for gossip. He had been going to have lunch with them until he had received the text from Rory. He promised the two girls a rain check, tentatively suggesting that they meet up on Wednesday. He didn't tell them, but Rory would be in class that day, and he could join them. Then he was on his way, passing by a guy that was talking loudly about the need for better safety for cyclists after that bad accident yesterday. Trent was in a hurry, so he didn't stop to hear where the accident had been, even though his interest was piqued - these things had a habit of going on for several days, so no doubt he would hear all about it tomorrow.

As Trent was walking up the stairs to the apartment that he shared with Rory, it suddenly struck him that something was off. He was heading home as Burt needed to see him. On a Monday, even with the holidays, Rory had always said that Burt was stuck in the office all day, as they caught up on the events that had taken place over the weekend. That begged the question - why was Burt coming here to see him? Why was he not heading to his office instead? It was odd, to say the least… Maybe he had things to say to him that he did not want Rory to hear, as there was no way on a Monday that the two of them could be out of office at the same time. It suddenly occurred to him that both Burt and Carole saw Rory as a 'son'. They had very much taken over in that respect from Rory's own. Was he about to be subjected to 'the talk'? He knew that Blaine had been given it when he and Kurt had first started dating. It would not shock him in the least if that was indeed the case. He would take it seriously, as Burt no doubt would. He knew that his own parents had asked to see Rory on his own when they had first met, and when he had called them late on Saturday night to break the news of his engagement to them, they had been more than happy, and desperate for the two of them to come and visit as soon as they could. That would be so that they could grill Rory on his intentions again. It would be as light hearted as his chat with Burt was going to be. He put his key in the door with a light heart, and walked in. He hung up his coat, placed his book bag on the hall table and headed into the living room. The moment he did, he knew that all of his assumptions had been wrong.

Burt was sat there in the armchair, just as he would have expected, but Rory was there too, sat on the sofa - and as he grew closer, he could see that he had been crying. He took a seat next to him, and placing an arm around him, asked, "Rory, what's happened? You've been crying…. Has something happened to Séamus or your Nana? Or are your parents causing trouble?"

"No, nothing has happened to any of them, and Burt and Carole are ok…"

Trent smiled as he realised that Rory's parents to him these days were the Hummels, not the couple in Ireland. "Then why have you been crying, sweetheart? Have I done something to hurt you, or is it someone at work?"

"No, no, you would never hurt me Trent, never! Look, I need to tell you something, and it will explain to you why I am so upset." Trent nodded, and pulled Rory even closer to him. Rory took a breath, and sighed. "Honey, there isn't an easy way to tell you this. I can't sugar coat it, and I can't not tell you and shield you from it, much as I would love to. I've been given a piece of very sad news, and it affects you too. In fact, if anything, it is going to hurt you far more than me…"

"Rory, please, just tell me. It can't be that bad, can it?" He looked across to Burt and suddenly notice that the older man also looked upset, and was struggling to meet his eye.

"Honey," said Rory, "do you remember what happened on Sunday? How you screamed for the longest time just before 9am, then passed out?"

"Yes… Oh, God, Rory, you're not ill? Please don't tell me you are sick…"

"I'm not sick. I'm not going anywhere, not now, not ever. At the time you screamed, there was an accident, in Harvard…"

"Harv.. Wes! Oh my God. What kind of accident? Is he ok? Is he in hospital? I need to go and see him…"

"Trent, honey, you can't," said Rory, taking Trent's hands, and holding them in his own. "It was a very bad accident… Wes is gone, my love. He died instantly; he didn't suffer. Kurt told me - Wes is with them now. He's going to be an angel, like them…"

Trent just sat in silence, and stared blankly ahead, not able to speak, to move, to even think. His brain had shut down at the word instantly. He could see Rory at his side, Burt in the chair, but he was elsewhere. He was back in the Senior Commons, on his first official day as an actual Warbler. He had sat next to Jeff, his friend from the year before; on Jeff's other side was his new friend Nick, who had been coerced by Jeff into auditioning at the same time. On Trent's other side was someone else who had just joined - Blaine. He had sat there, and along with Nick and Blaine, had been so in awe of the other boys in the room. He knew them all - after all, he had been coming to sit in on their rehearsals for the last three months of the previous year, at Jeff's behest. The only exception were the two freshmen that had just joined, Jasper and Brad, who sat quietly in a corner.

Then the room fell silent as the door opened and the Council entered - Wes first, followed by the newly elected David and Thad. The meeting was opened with a bang from the gavel. Trent had been so nervous, so unsure of himself that day - it was a big difference from just sitting there unofficially to being a full member, but whenever he had felt scared, he just had to look at Wes. He always seemed to smile at him; helped him with what he needed to do. Wes was always there to help, not just in rehearsal but in general. He had always been so kind, patient and understanding with him; he got him in a way that few other people, until Rory came along, did. He respected Wes, and he had respected him in return.

And now, the physical presence of that most wonderful of friends was gone. He knew that he would still see him, in his new winged form, but it would never be quite the same again. He had planned to ask Wes to be his best man - he had cleared it with Jeff and he had no problem with it. He had pictured Wes there for all of the important moments of his life; his wedding; the birth of his children; standing there in turn when his children married. Their Uncle Wes. Those dreams were just that now - unachievable pipe dreams. He was gone, and Trent's soul had known it. He had screamed in pain and disbelief as the best of them had been snatched away by death and taken to heaven. It was so unfair…

He looked now at Rory, his face reflecting the pain that he himself felt. His heart ached. He just wanted to wake up and find himself back in bed with Rory, the day not even started. But it had happened; it was real; and there was nothing that he or anyone else could do to alter the facts. He suddenly felt Rory wrap his arms around him, and the dam that had been holding everything back broke. His tears began to fall, coursing down his face in an unrelenting stream, dripping onto the face of the man he loved. The person that like Wes, got him, and knew that this was exactly what he needed right now. No words of comfort or sympathy - no words at all. Just to be held close; to feel the heat of his body through his skin. No judgement. He began to sob as his heart fell to bits, as the world around him began to crumble as his vision blurred. He could feel Rory's own tears on his cheek, tears shed both in sympathy for his loss and the pain that he felt himself. Wes had after all made Rory the first ever honorary Warbler. He could see that the young Irishman was going to become a integral part of the dynamic of the group of friends. Rory was never going to leave him, and he would mourn the passing of Wes as much as any of them. In his arms, at that moment, Trent felt safe, protected and loved. Those were all the things that he had always got from Wes. He could never be replaced, but without Rory, Trent would have felt so much more lost that he did right now.

Burt had merely sat and watched quietly as Trent slowly fell apart and as the man he regarded as a son had shown him the love, care and understanding that he now required. He got up and headed to the kitchen, leaving the two young men to grieve in private. He had already called Carole, to tell her what had happened, on the way to the apartment. She had been as shocked and upset as he was; her shopping trip had been cancelled forthwith. He had asked her to head home, although she had offered to come and sit with him and Rory to await Trent. Now in the relative quiet of the kitchen, he made a call to Ohio, to the office of the chair of the board of governors of Dalton Academy - the former Principal, Aaron Carmichael. He and Wes had been close - the former was like a father to Wes, his own being so distant and far away. He knew, unlike many, that the relationship had worked the other way too - and this was going to devastate the man in question. He had lost his own son to meningitis at the age of 18; this death would no doubt bring back all that sense of horror and loss.

As he answered the phone, Burt was tempted for a moment to hang up; let someone else be the one that told him. In the back of his mind, however, he heard Kurt chiding him for even considering that option. So he made small talk at first, and was almost relieved when he heard that the current Principal, Arlene Lefevre, was in his office with him. He asked to be put on speaker phone, and once he had been, he just came out and said it. He heard a high pitched gasp; a low moan which he was sure came from her predecessor. Their outrage was palpable when they heard that the funeral had already taken place. There would be a memorial at the school, that much they confirmed without any hesitation.

It was then that Burt realised that Rory had another, potentially more devastating blow to deliver to Trent. He became aware of shouting from the next room, and concluded that he had just told him.

"How dare they do this! What gives them the right to deny all of us the chance to say a proper farewell. Wes has been sent away like a dirty secret, in private. I mean, how many people would actually have been there? Wes deserved a church, no, a cathedral full of people, all united by the love and affection that they felt for the most generous, intelligent, selfless man I have ever known - instead he got a rushed service, attended by people who probably never gave a damn for him when he was alive! I hope to God that at least his cousin Michelle was there. She loved him. She cared for him. If she was there, then at least… He's have wanted us to sing, to carry him in - we failed him, Rory. It's not our fault, but we have failed him. It just….and what about Thad? What is he going to feel without his chance to say a proper goodbye?" Once again, Trent broke down in his fiancé's arms.

Burt heard those last words as he entered the room again, his main call made. He felt sure that there were other people that needed to be called to be given the news, but that could wait until later - just now his priority was the two boys; and they were still just boys to him, even though both were now out of their teens; in the case of Trent, by barely a month. So young, and yet they had seen three of their generation die already. Trent had been to each of those funerals; Rory only to Blaine's due to his circumstances. Trent had been forced to stand up and give evidence in a murder trial. He had seen far too much pain for someone that was barely out of his teens. Now they were facing up to yet another death, this time of a young man with honesty, decency and integrity as his watchwords. He knew that if they did not have proper closure - all of them, not just these two, but all of the people whose lives had been touched by Wes Montgomery, then they would never be able to heal. They would still be able to see him; that much was true and a blessing, but for all their sakes, they needed to give him a decent earthly send off. Mark their loss with something special.

He crossed the room towards the two boys and pulled them into a hug. He knew what he had to say to them, "I just spoke to Principal Carmichael at Dalton. He hadn't been told what had happened, and I am afraid that my call left him devastated. Don't worry about him though - I spoke to Principal Lefevre and she is going to take care of him. She also said to me that although they might have had the funeral service, Dalton will give him a fitting memorial service. I know that it isn't quite the same, but I doubt that his family would ever have allowed you all to give him the funeral you would have wanted him to have."

"That's true," said Trent, with a sniff. "He once told me that his parents despised the Warblers, and used to write regularly to Principal Carmichael demanding that he remove Wes from the choir. His father never forgave Wes for refusing to give the Warblers up, and they barely spoke. Wes graduated as the school dux, and it still wasn't good enough. I think that was why Wes started to rebel even more after that. It was why he joined the Harvard Glee Club at the first chance he got; why he was auditioning to join the Hasty Puddings? Not to mention the fact that when he told them he was leaving Harvard and transferring to NYU for a term so he could attend the trial, they kicked him out of the house in Ohio on Christmas Day…"

Burt nodded and could clearly recall that Christmas, when Wes had arrived with Sebastian at the Hummel house in Lima, where Nick and Jeff were already spending the holiday. Sebastian had maintained that they had come as he was fleeing from his father. Burt had seen through that lie the moment he spoke. It all made sense now - the sad expression on Wes' face as he had stood there, hidden behind Sebastian at first. He had been the one that was fleeing an unsympathetic family, and Sebastian had stepped up with a plausible cover story so he did not have to admit it. He was pretty certain that was true, but young Mr Smythe would no doubt take that secret to the grave with him. Burt could not help but wonder how that young man would react to the news…


	38. A Meerkat's Misery

**A Meerkat's misery**

Back in New York, Sam Evans stood outside the townhouse in Manhattan that Cooper had bought with his inheritance from Blaine and his grandparents. It stood in a row of identical houses on a good street in Murray Hill, the only difference being that it was a little shabbier than the rest at present. He climbed the steps to the front door of the main house, and rang the bell, before opening the unlocked front door and heading in. Cooper was expecting him, and stepped out of the drawing room to greet him. "Hey, little bro, how are you? And what is so important that you need me to spy on my tenant? Dave went out about ten minutes ago, but Sebastian is still at home, as requested. So, what gives?" Cooper was startled when Sam suddenly burst into tears, and rushed across the room to hold him. "Hey, Sammy, what is it? What has got you so sad? I haven't seen you like this since Blaine…" He stopped mid sentence and glanced at Sam. "Please, please tell me it isn't something like that," he whispered.

"I wish I could Coop," said Sam with a sob, "but I can't. There has been another one. It's Wes. He's dead…" As Sam burst into tears again, Cooper felt his heart drop like a stone. With those words, the world was shattered - and he knew that the impact on his tenant was going to be huge.

As Cooper held the still crying Sam close to him, tears slipping from his own eyes, his mind slipped back to a day four years earlier, when he had been home in Ohio, and he had been charged with taking Blaine to his new school. He had been home more than once since the night of that fateful Sadie Hawkins dance, just to check on his little brother. At the time, he had sometimes seen it as a bit of a chore, but he knew in his heart even then that he was the only family member that actually gave a damn. He knew that their housekeeper, who was a more of a mother to them both than Pam had ever been, would have taken him to Dalton quite happily, but Cooper wanted to check it out for himself, to see if it was good enough for his squirt. After all, it had been chosen by their father, and he didn't always make the best decisions….

The school had actually looked very impressive as he had driven up to the front door. He parked the car, and then helped Blaine with his bags as they made their way to the school's reception. Inside there was a scene of organised chaos, as a line of boys with bags and family made their way towards the desk. In front of them stood a brunet boy with his father; the boy kept muttering about missing Illinois and his friends, but went totally silent when his father said "Oh, be quiet, Nicholas!" Then they were called forward, the man glancing at his watch the entire time.

'Typical!' thought Cooper. 'Another man a lot like father, and another boy just as anxious and new to this as Blaine.' He was disturbed from his thoughts by a call of "Next!" from the desk, where a younger woman was waiting.

"Hi, I'm Cooper Anderson, this is my brother Blaine who is down to start here today," he said with a flirtatious tone. He heard Blaine groan next to him as he knew what his older brother was doing.

"Ah, yes. I am Mlle Lefevre, and I will have the pleasure of your brother in my class, I believe, for French. I hope Blaine that you will be very happy here. As you know, we have a zero tolerance, anti-bullying policy here at Dalton. If anything happens, or you just feel the need to talk to someone, my door is always open. Now, as is practice here, you have also been assigned a mentor who you can turn to. I believe that you like to sing?" Blaine nodded, his eyes still downcast. "In that case, you and your mentor are well matched. Mr Montgomery?" As she said those words, Cooper noticed for the first time a line of boys sitting quietly in the back, and saw a studious looking Asian boy rise up and head towards them. "Ah, good," said Mlle Lefevre. "Wes, this is Blaine Anderson. I know that you will take very good care of him…."

Cooper had followed his little brother and his mentor to the dorm room that he had been assigned. Number 37. "By luck," said Wes, "I am in Room 38 with my friend David. He won't arrive until later today - he is only entering his junior year and only seniors like me are mentors. On the other side in Room 36 we have Jeff Sterling, who is to be rooming with another new arrival, Nicholas Duval. Both of them are sophomores like you. Jeff is - well, he's Jeff. He's a very lively guy, a bit of a joker, but one of the best friends you could wish for. He is a Warbler, like myself and David. That's our show choir here at Dalton. We are always on the look out for new members if you are interested…" Blaine nodded, and then headed into his room. Cooper went to follow, but Wes discretely held him back and let the door close behind Blaine.

"I've been told what he has been through," Wes said to him, in a low voice. "I just want you to know that none of my Warblers have any problem with anybody being gay. Jeff is gay, and so is Trent Nixon - he's another sophomore, and a really sweet guy. It wouldn't surprise me if there were others that just aren't out yet. The thing is, he is amongst friends here. I will protect him from harm, and so will my boys. Our motto has been the same for generations - 'Once a Warbler, Always a Warbler.' We are a family. He will not come to any harm here. If he decides that he does not wish to stay in the dorms, then I will only be a phone call away. You can trust me…"

For some reason, Cooper had felt that day that he could entrust his brother to someone that he had just met for the first time in his life. Looking back, he knew it was because Wes had been so genuine; had meant every single word. He had left Dalton that day happy that Blaine now had the protection that he needed. Now four years on, that good, trustworthy young man had followed Blaine into an early grave. It was a tragedy. No other word could adequately sum it up.

It was only once Sam felt able to that he and Cooper descended the steps down to the street, then down again to the door that gave entry to the little apartment that Sebastian shared with Dave. They could hear Sebastian singing to himself - a sound that stopped abruptly the moment that they knocked on the door. It took a moment, but eventually the door was opened by Sebastian, clad in a robe and a pair of sleep pants. "Hey, Coop, Sam, what brings you guys here? Excuse my state of dress but Dave and I are having a lazy day. He went out to get some fresh bagels for lunch. So, as I said, any special reason for the visit, or were you just passing?"

"Sebastian, you need to go and sit down - we have something that we need to tell you," said Sam. It earned him a curious look from the former Warbler, but he complied, heading to the little living room to sit on the couch as the other two followed him. The room was stylishly decorated, Sam noticed, as Sebastian sat and looked at him expectantly, all ears. "There's been an accident…" Sam began, and he saw a look of horror suddenly cross Sebastian's face.

"Oh no, not Dave. He never looks properly when he crosses the street. What happened? Is he in hospital? I need to go and…"

"It's not Dave, Seb," said Cooper, sitting down next to the panicking boy. "I mean, think about it. If something had happened to him, they'd call you, not us."

"You're right, I just had a moment… so who then? Not Niff or Trent? Please, not one of them…."

Sam now sat down on the arm of the small couch, on Sebastian's other side. "It's Wes, Sebastian. He had an accident yesterday morning. It was fatal, I'm afraid. I am so sorry…"

There was a moment of silence, as Sebastian just sat and stared at his hands. "Wow, Wes, eh? Wonder who they will appoint as Head Warbler in his place? Well here, anyway. No doubt Klaine will have anointed him as angelic Head Warbler by now. He was a good guy. He and I always had our differences - we clashed when I was in my freshman days at Dalton, and he was only Deputy Head of Council under Louis. That of course was before mommy dearest decided to pack us both off to Paris. Then I came back in Junior year and acted like a complete douchebag. He came to see me after I slushied Blaine - did you know? Stormed into the Senior Commons one afternoon like a whirlwind. Tore strips off all of us after he had kicked the freshmen out. Asked if we were proud of breaking our Warbler oath; our promise to always care for each other. He really laid into David and Thad; he made them both cry, which set most of the others off. Then he turned to me, dragged me out of the room by the tie, straight to Carmichael's office - he wasn't there, but I think he might have been the one to send for Wes. He just let me have everything he had got verbally. By the end of it, you have no idea how chastened I felt…. I will miss him - he could always make me feel so guilty…"

Sam and Cooper looked at each other with concern when Sebastian stopped speaking. There was no sign of any kind of emotion as he spoke, no telltale dampness around the eyes, no alteration whatsoever in his demeanour. "Are you ok, Seb," said Cooper.

"Yeah, I'm fine. We weren't that close. I was never one of his boys from that golden year when he was in charge - that year I was getting the wrong kind of reputation in Paris. He was a great man, and it is a tragic loss. I'm sure the rest of them will be crying buckets full of tears for him. It's Thad I feel the most sorry for. He just gets him, and then, bam, he's gone. Me, I'm tough. Hunter saw to that. I'm fine, trust me…"

With that Sebastian got up and left the room. Sam turned to Cooper and said, "Why don't I believe that for a minute?"

"Me neither, Sammy. He's bottling it all up, just as Wes always did…"

Just then, the front door opened and Dave appeared. He looked surprised to see them. Cooper got up and took him to one side and told him why they were there. Sam could see his face fall as Cooper related the worst. "Where is he?" he asked, when Cooper had finished.

"Bedroom, I guess," said Sam. He and Cooper followed Dave at a distance as he made his way to the main bedroom at the back of the house. Sebastian was sitting there on the edge of the bed, with his back to the door. Dave put the bag of bagels down on the bedside table and went to sit on the bed at his side.

"Sebby?" Dave said quietly…

Sebastian turned to look at him, and Dave put his hand gently on his shoulder. That one movement was enough to crack the façade, and in a moment, Sebastian was howling in Dave's arms, lost in the pain of losing the one friend that had never lied to him, and had always told him the truth, no matter how hard that was to hear.

Seeing Sebastian fall apart was terrible, but it was also a great relief to Cooper and Sam. It felt wrong to admit it, but it was a sign that he was taking the news as they had expected. "This is probably what happened in Bushwick too," Sam whispered to Cooper as they retreated back to the living room, to allow Sebastian to fall to pieces away from their prying eyes. "Sebastian can be a bit cold and aloof at times, but Nick and even more so Jeff wear their hearts on their sleeves. Trent is exactly the same, and even with Rory, he is going to feel so alone in Washington DC. I mean, David and Thad have each other to turn to in L.A. Here, Sebastian has Niff, and Beats and Flint are only a short train ride away - I wonder who is telling them? I hope someone is - they are such good guys as well, those two… Even Ethan and Drew have each other to turn to in Ohio just now. But Trent is alone, away from the other Warblers, and he must be hurting…"

"They'll know that, Blaine and Kurt. I'm sure that they will spend as much time as they can with Trent. There is one thing that we haven't done yet, Sam. One thing we omitted to tell Sebastian - we never mentioned the funeral…"

"What about the funeral?" said Sebastian, as he suddenly appeared at the door. The robe was gone now, and he was wearing a worn old Dalton hoodie above his sleep pants. "Do you know when it is? I'll need to arrange time off and then there will have to be a group Skype call later to decide what we are going to sing, the atmosphere, all of that kind of thing…" His voice tailed off as he saw the way that Sam was looking at Cooper - the latter sighed and then spoke.

"His family decided that they did not want his friends at his funeral. So, they cremated him this morning, so Sam tells me. I am so sorry Seb…"

Sebastian went pale, and fell down onto the couch, in tears again. "We don't get our chance to say goodbye….how can they be so cruel? We meant more to him than they ever did. We were his family, not them! And a cremation, so there is no grave to visit either…. They didn't deserve him, and he didn't deserve this…" By now, Dave had taken a seat next to Sebastian, and he took the sobbing boy into his arms, and just held him. Right now, he knew that he needed to know that someone was there; that somebody loved him. For without Wes Montgomery, the world was suddenly a more frightening and lonely place.

By the time that noon came in New York, all the Warblers that were closest to Wes knew. Nick had managed to hold back his tears for long enough to make a Skype call to Beats; Flint was also there, about to head out to work. It was a glimpse of a red eyed Jeff in the background that gave away the fact that something was very wrong.

Five minutes later and the two young men in Princeton were crying like babies, clinging to each other for dear life, their hearts shattered. There would be no work for Flint that day - instead after he called in sick, he and Beats headed for the station to catch the first possible train to New York, and the company of Nick and Jeff.

Ethan and Drew were told by Thad. The latter had accepted that no amount of tears and wailing could bring back the man he adored, so he concentrated his energies on dealing with the devastated David, and making sure that all of those closest to Wes knew what had taken place. Actually calling them had been hard to build up to, but he knew that he had no choice. He made sure first that they were with someone, and then he just came out and said it. It was harsh, but he didn't see any better method. Listening to them breakdown all those miles away in Ohio hurt Thad; but in a way, he saw it as a tribute to Wes that his death could provoke such feelings in all those that had known him.

Jasper and Brad had been at Dalton, visiting the Warblers and their new council of Seth, Edward and Colin when a message was passed round the school that all Warblers were to make their way to the Senior Commons at once. They had all assembled, Jasper and Brad standing uneasily in the corner. There was something about this that was unprecedented, and that made them fearful. The moment that the former Principal, Aaron Carmichael appeared in the room, they knew that something was wrong. When he finally uttered the words, there was a stunned silence in the room at first. Then the tears began to flow. It was the end of an era. The most illustrious and celebrated Warbler of them all, their Head, was gone. No-one believed that he could ever be replaced…


	39. The Parcel

**The Parcel**

By the time that 1pm came on the east coast on that fateful Monday, all the main Warblers, and all the key members of the New Directions knew, mostly thanks to an impressive telephone effort by Quinn in the case of the latter. She had phoned several people, including Sugar, Joe and Unique by the time that Rachel arrived back, hotly followed by Artie. She had made them wait to hear what was going on until the others had arrived before she broke the news to them, but Artie had heard tears and sobs from the other loft as he passed by the door, and he had concluded that something was very amiss. None of them could have predicted what Quinn had to tell them; nor could they have imagined just how hard it felt. Finn had been bad enough when he had died in what they then imagined to be a tragic accident, but Wes - even though he wasn't one of them, they all knew him and admired his honour and integrity in all things. His passing affected them all, and tears were shed for him, and for the Warblers.

In the middle of it all, Santana and Puck returned with Tina in tow - Mike had elected to stay with Nick and Jeff, as they needed someone - and Puck thought, he needed to be with them, so much did he feel the death of an old and trusted friend. It was also time for Brittany to be told; Santana woke her up, and quite simply told her that her dead bird was Wes. She didn't seem that shocked, almost as if she had guessed herself what the dream meant. All she did say was that they needed to take care of his birds and help them. They were all behind that concept. They could all remember those four Dalton boys sat at Finn's funeral, their heads bowed in respect. It was their turn to return the favour. The last of the New Directions to be told was Jake - he had not been answering his phone earlier, but did for Puck.

Mercedes had of course already been told by Kurt. She had cancelled her plans for the week, and made her way across town to an address she was by now quite familiar with. As the clock struck one in New York, she was making her way up to the front door of the apartment inhabited by David and Thad. Right in front of her was a UPS man with a box. He stopped and knocked on the door, sparing her from doing so.

Thad knew that she was on her way - Blaine had returned to let him know what Kurt had done, and at that moment in time he was so very grateful to him for what he had done. David was still inconsolable, staring blankly into space, tears streaming down his face. He needed all the support that he could get, and who better than the young lady that David loved with all of his heart and soul. So when he heard the knock on the door, he rushed to open it - and was momentarily disturbed by the brown uniform. Once his shock wore off, he was pleased to see a familiar figure standing behind the parcel delivery guy. He took the parcel from the UPS man, and signed for it, before placing it on the hall stand, untouched and unread. He did the whole thing without any kind of thought. Once he was gone, Mercedes was in the hall with him, and she took him in her arms and pulled him into a tight hug. He could instantly feel the warmth of her love and affection. She didn't speak; didn't say those words he dreaded - I'm so sorry for your loss. She just held him, and it felt so right, so comfortable. He knew he had the support that he needed. Eventually they separated and he guided her into the living room where David sat. She made her way over to him, and if his eyes saw her there was no flicker of recognition. Then sitting by his side, she wrapped an arm around him and whispered in his ear. Thad would never know exactly what she said, but it had the desired effect. David allowed her to pull him in close, to hold him close as he cried quietly, to whisper the words of comfort that he needed to hear. Thad stood and watched them for a while - they made such a handsome couple. He was just the slightest bit jealous of the fact that David still had someone, whereas now, he….

He shook that thought out of his head straight away. He then remembered the parcel, still sitting out there in the hall. He went back into the hall and picked it up, to carry it back into the living room without even checking to see who it was addressed to. It was only once he was back in the living room that he actually looked to see who it was for.

Mr Thad Harwood.

It wasn't his name that made his heart leap up in his chest and beat like a caged bird desperately throwing itself against the bars. It was the distinctive handwriting that he would have recognised anywhere. It was from Wes - no doubt about it, definitely from Wes… It had been posted on Saturday - it had to have been…

"Why would Wes have sent me a package when he could just have given whatever it is to me at the wedding?" He realised too late that he had said it out loud and not just in his thoughts. David pulled away from Mercedes, to dash over and stand by Thad, as fascinated by the writing as his friend.

"You'd best open it," said Mercedes. She said it in a tone so full of curiosity and concern. The fact was, she had been let into a little secret by Kurt that none of the others even knew. That Wes had known that he was going to die. That revelation had knocked her for six, and she had wondered at the time why Kurt was even telling her. Now she knew. That parcel contained the last, heartfelt messages of love and affection from Wes to his boys; and in particular, to his best friend and the boy he had loved.

Thad's hands were shaking as he began to carefully open the box, taking great care that he did no damage to the address, desperate to retain that last sample of hand writing, the evidence that the man he loved had existed. He noticed as he did so that on the sole letter 'i' in the address, the dot had been replaced by a tiny heart. That almost caused him to burst into tears, but he fought the urge back, and did not. He wasn't going to allow that to happen just now.

Inside the box, he found a small parcel, and three envelopes of varying sizes. He removed them first, and carefully checked the labelling of each of them. One, in an echo of Blaine, stated 'Last Will and Testament of Wesley Montgomery.' That made Thad start - he stared at it as he slowly came to realise what it meant. He had barely noticed David looking over his shoulder, until his friend spoke in quiet tones. "He knew. He must have done. Why else would Wes have written a will?" said David. As yet, Mercedes kept her counsel; Kurt had told her to say nothing to the two young men, both of whom now looked so confused. The other two envelopes were addressed to David Thompson - Best Friend Ever; it was a thin, standard sized envelope; and simply to My Thaddie - a much larger and fatter one. David just took his envelope and stared at it. He did not feel up to opening it yet. The whole thing still felt very raw and so unreal. Opening the letter would mean accepting it completely. He had to; he knew he did, but not yet…

Thad however tore his open and found that along with a handwritten personal missive, there was a veritable pile of smaller envelopes, each of which surely contained a note of some sort. At first glance at them as they had fallen in place he saw a variety of names - Nick, Jeff, Trent - there had to be one for each of the Warblers that he had known best. There were envelopes for other too - as he looked more closely he saw Rory, Sam, Mike, Santana - there was even one addressed to Dave Karofsky. Some of the envelopes were slightly fatter than the others, as if there was something other than just a note inside. Thad could only smile as he looked at them all - it seemed that if it was true, that Wes had known what was going to happen, he had put others first as he always did. As for his own letter, the pages now sitting there in full view, he wasn't ready to read it yet, like David. Through the paper he could see the familiar tight, spidery handwriting - and on what had to be the last page, he could see small marks on the paper; damp spots; tear stains. He forced himself not to cry once again. Not yet.

He turned now to the parcel, which was rectangular in shape. He unwrapped the brown paper and saw a cardboard box. On the top of it was written a message.

' _Thad, promise me you will take good care of him. He needs an occasional dose of linseed oil. You are the only person that I would trust with him, because you will treasure him. All my love, until we meet on wings, your Wessie xxxxx.'_

He realised that David had been reading the inscription too only when he gasped, then looked at Thad with a wan smile. "He was right, I wouldn't have been up to the task," David said. He knew what the box contained.

With hands that were trembling, Thad carefully lifted the lid of the box; inside, nestled on a bed of cotton wool, lay something that Thad immediately recognised. Wes had entrusted him with Mr Bangy. That was the straw that broke him and sent tears of grief and loss pouring down his face. Caused him to start sobbing and fall into David's arms. He found himself wailing on his shoulder, as his friend also started to cry again. The scene before her was enough to break Mercedes' heart, and she went over to them, and wrapped her own arms around them both.

In the corner, Blaine stood and watched in silence. By his side, but still invisible to his friends in the room was Wes. His pain was all the worse that day, but he had insisted that he be allowed to come and see the reaction of his best friend and boyfriend - and yes, that was what Thad was to him; had been since that week in Bushwick in June. Although nothing had happened between them apart from a few slightly less fraternal hugs, that had been the week that Wes had finally accepted that he was deeply in love with Thad. Now, his heart ached for him as he watched him cry over being entrusted to look after his gavel. He knew too what David would see this as signifying - that Thad was his choice of successor as Head Warbler. He knew that his oldest friend would not dispute it, and would support it. He also knew that he would be there for Thad in the dark times ahead. After all, losing someone you love can be enough to shatter any hearts - and Thad's was all too fragile at times.

As Thad and David sobbed in the arms of Mercedes in L.A., things in Bushwick had begun to move on. Santana had decided that she should head into the diner, having already arranged cover for Jeff's shifts. Nick had called the law library, and had broken down as he spoke to the Head Librarian. When he told him amidst his sobs who had died, his boss told him to take as much time off as he needed. He had himself spoken to Wes more than once as he did his research, and had come to see him as an intelligent, polite, talented young man. The waste of such a life had to be marked. Nick and Jeff had then settled down in silence next to each other on the sofa, to flick through old photographs from the good times in their sophomore year at Dalton; the happy times they had spent together in the loft between the trial and their wedding, and finally they came to the pictures of the day in question. They both noticed that in one of the photos of them, Wes was sat in the background, and just looked so sad. It must have been a fleeting moment, but they couldn't help but wonder if he had known that something was wrong.

Mike meanwhile had remembered with horrific clarity the words that Wes had said to him on Saturday morning. He hadn't been entrusting the two boys to his care whilst he was away, back at Harvard. He had been doing it for the remainder of his, or indeed their lives. He felt a conflicting mixture of thoughts at his realisation; pride that he had been given the task, but grief at the loss of one of his oldest friends in such a tragic way. Then there was the whole issue of how he could have been aware and not just have broken, as he would have done. Those questions were for another day however - just now, he took on the task that had been given to him, making sure that the two of them ate, that there was coffee, and that they were spared any unnecessary annoyance.

Just after 3pm, there came a frantic knocking at the door. Nick and Jeff looked at each other, almost with a hint of fear at the intensity of the knocking. Mike went to the door and opened it with a degree of caution, ready to force away any unwanted visitors, no matter how much they said they wanted to express their sympathy. He was nearly knocked down by Beats and Flint as they charged by him into the loft, into the living room, where they were pulled almost at once into a tight four way hug by Nick and Jeff. Mike could hear the tears starting up again, as the company of other Warblers in equal pain set them off. He felt his own eyes grow moist as he stood at the living room door and watched them. It must have been noticed as suddenly Nick and Beats pulled apart, and beckoned Mike into the space. He accepted and he sank into the comfort of warm arms of friends that felt the same crushing sense of loss. He recalled more than one hug of this kind when Finn had died, when he, Sam, Blaine and Artie had held each other around Puck and Kurt, the latter two having collapsed in each others arms at the sheer pain of losing a brother and a best friend. He knew that just across the landing, some of those same people, plus his other friends from McKinley would be feeling his loss too. Wes had been one of those people that you just could not hate, unless you were slightly insane. So good, so kind, so understanding and accepting. His death wasn't right or fair.

The five of them were still all tightly clasped together in a hug and had been for many minutes when they heard the sound of a throat being cleared. There, standing between Sam and Dave, was Sebastian. His trademark smirk was gone - he looked as if he was completely broken. His eyes were bloodshot, red-rimmed and puffy, as if his tears had flowed without abatement for quite some time - not that they had completely stopped yet. His shoulders were slumped, his hair and attire a mess. He looked, to the eyes of Nick and Jeff, just the way he had in his room in Dalton the night that Hunter had whipped him. Mike knew the time had come for him to leave the group, and he stepped out - with a guiding arm from Dave, Sebastian made his way over to the others. He had felt like a bit of an interloper so many times, having never actually worked in the Warblers under the leadership of Wes. But the loss of the young man that had almost always shown him sympathy rather than censure had hurt him every bit as much as the others. Once you have shared a smallish room with someone for over six months, you come to know and respect them. Now that man was gone; but here, in this loft that he had called his home until a few short days ago, his spirit seemed to linger on. With a sudden burst of sobs, Sebastian literally fell into the arms of his friends, and as if those sobs were infectious, within seconds all of them were crying hard once again.

Their tears set Mike off once again, and he was so glad when he felt two sets of arms pull him towards them. He found himself crying into Dave's chest, as Sam stood behind him and gently rubbed his back. This was new territory - but Dave had changed so much in the last year and Mike no longer felt that he could not be a close friend. If anything, his friendship was to be encouraged. So much of the certainties of their lives had been washed away in the last year - the innocence of youth was lost. In the past 18 months, four people of their own age group had now lost their lives - five, Mike supposed, if you counted Hunter. He had thought that in time, he would become numb to the pain, but this latest loss had proven him to be so wrong. The big difference now was that he was crying in public, whereas his previous tears had been largely unwitnessed. He had cried alone, where nobody could see the vulnerability that lurked just below his cool exterior. But he didn't care who saw them anymore. All the hurt had become too much. He barely noticed as Dave guided him out of the loft, across the landing, and into a room where so many of his friends sat in silence, immersed in their own feelings about Wes' death. On seeing him, Tina got up and ran towards him. Dave handed him over to her care. The traditional roles had been reversed for once, Mike crying whilst Tina held him. As Dave left to head back over to the other loft, he looked back over his shoulder to see that Artie had wheeled himself over, and taken Mike's hand; that Puck and Quinn were holding Mike from behind. He knew that he would be safe here - after all, he was in the bosom of his 'family'.


	40. Together by Skype

**Together by Skype**

In Washington, Trent was being held close by his fiancé, all pretence of work of any kind now set aside. Rory had only one aim at the moment - to stop the pain that Trent was feeling, or at least to mitigate it as much as he could. Across from them now sat Carole, Burt having headed back to his office. Her pain was just as clear for all of them to see - another man had lost his life far too soon, in an accident that reminded her too much of what had befallen her own son. There was nothing she could do for these boys but try and comfort them. She had made the decision to call Mrs Nixon, and had not been surprised in the least when she had broken down in tears. Then she rallied, and asked how Trent was coping with the loss of the man that she described as his big brother and mentor. Carole told her the truth - her son was shattered, just as every other Warbler would be. She was the one that reminded Carole that she needed to contact the Sterlings, and Mrs Duval - as Mrs Nixon had put it, the mothers of the Warblers had loved Wes every bit as much as their sons. They all had a special place for him in their hearts, because he had always taken care of their boys. None would be more upset than David's mother, as she had taken care of Wes from such a young age, when his own mother was too busy. She told Carole that she would start ringing round the mothers, and would go and see Mrs Thompson in person. Having been more of a mother to Wes than his own, the news of his death would break her heart.

As Carole had been speaking to his mother, Trent had finally stopped crying, and was now lost in his thoughts. Eventually, he turned to Rory and spoke. "There is a part of me that has just died, right this very minute. I don't think I will ever fully recover from this. There were already two holes in my heart, and now there is another Wes shaped one… He is never coming back as he was, and that hurts. He will be around, like Kurt and Blaine are, but it won't be the same; it can never be the same, and that is a fact. There is a part of me, a big part of me, that wants to head back to New York on the train, and lock myself away with the other Warblers, and mourn for him together. But then, I hear his voice scolding me for even entertaining such an option. _'You have college, Robin. That is far more important than me. You don't want to end up being cut, or stuck in summer school again next year. Think of yourself…'_ I have to get through this Rory. For me, for you, for the sake of all the Warblers. It's just - I crave their company. He was our rock, our stability in a changing world. And now, he just isn't around in the same way. I can only imagine how David and Thad must be feeling…"

Rory pulled his fiancé tighter to him. He knew that there was a way for Trent to get the support that he craved without travelling hundreds of miles. He carefully picked his phone up, and behind Trent's back, he sent a text to Sam, making a request, if the other Warblers felt up to it. His reply was swift in coming. It was a yes; a yes please in fact. Rory handed Trent to Carole for a while, whilst he went and set up the Skype call.

When his call to Sam's Skype ID was answered, Rory found himself staring his friend right in the eye. "How is Trent doing?" said Sam.

"Not great. I mean I am here to support him, and Carole is here too, but I just feel that on this occasion, we are nowhere near enough. He needs people that really understand the full enormity of what has happened. He needs to be with the other Warblers, but he knows that he cannot come back to New York, because college has started up again here, and he has a schedule full of classes to attend. He says that he can hear Wes in the back of his head, telling him that they have to be his priority; and that voice is right, I know it is. But he also needs his oldest friends."

Sam nodded, and walked slowly with his laptop in the direction of the living room in Nick and Jeff's loft where five Warblers now sat squashed together on the sofa - in fact, Jeff was sitting on Nick's lap. Rory in his turn carried his own laptop through to the living room, and set it down on the table in front of Trent. From the speakers he could hear the faint sound of Sam speaking to the assembled Warblers, heard the mention of the word Trent more than once. Rory for his own part whispered to his fiancé "

"Trent, some people would like to speak to you. It's important." Carole nodded at Rory as Trent turned towards the screen, just as an image of his five friends filled the screen.

Nick spoke for all of them, in a sad voice. "Hey Trent, we miss you. We are here for you. He wouldn't want you to come here and get into trouble at school, just as he wouldn't want the five of us descending on Washington. But we wish you were here. Because your heart must be as broken as all of ours…"

Trent looked at the faces of his five friends - all the same in terms of red eyes, unruly hair, and a look of such sadness it broke his heart. "I love you guys so much. I loved Wes. I have no idea what we are going to do without him here. He always knew exactly what we should do; the right thing to say to make us feel better if we were hurt or upset. Who is going to be there now? Who is going to hold us all together…?" He received no reply from his five friends - they looked just as desolate as he felt. He was certain that at any moment, fresh tears would be shed.

Then the laptop binged as a fresh Skype call request came in. The icon told Trent all he needed to know. He accepted the call instantly, and shared it with the group in New York. All of them on seeing his name appear would have predicted that he would be distraught - a complete wreck, having just lost the love of his life. They expected tears and wailing. So to see him sat there, looking so serene and at peace with everything - well it almost grated with them. "It's shock; has to be," Flint whispered to Beats.

"It's not, I assure you," said Thad in his usual measured tones. "I know that you all probably anticipated seeing me in floods of tears, and think in fact that is should be. The fact is, I cried for a while, and then I realised that no amount of tears was going to bring my Wessie back to me. He wouldn't want me to be like that anyway. He would want me to hold myself together, so that I can hold the Warblers together. In fact…I know that is what he wanted, because he wrote to me. He actually sent me a whole pile of little notes, one for each of you. You see…Wes knew that he was going to die…" He sat in silence for a moment and observed the looks on his friend's faces. Shock. Horror. Disbelief. Incredulity. "You all remember how Blaine was on Friday night? How skittish he seemed? And how he always disappeared when one person came anywhere near him? And Sam said to us all that he was like that because he had a big collection to make on Sunday…"

Nick nodded, and suddenly it hit him. "It was Wes - his big collection was Wes." Thad nodded, and let Nick go on. "When I was choking on those spores from those darn plants in that hotel room on Sunday morning, I actually thought that it was me. Which, now I think on it, was a bit silly, as Kurt is my guardian angel… But yeah, now that you say it, it all makes sense…"

"I thought it was me too," said Sebastian. "I wasn't going to say anything to you guys yet, although David, Ethan and Drew know…on our way home from the reception, Dave and I popped into a Duane Reed, and got ourselves caught up in an armed robbery." He smiled wanly as he saw the shocked looks on his friend's faces. "He hurt Dave - he knocked him down, so I might have decided to stand up to the gunman…. He might have ended up pointing the gun right at me…and as I waited for the bang to come, I thought that it was me Blaine was coming for. I thought that I was about to die…"

Thad had sat back and said nothing as Nick and Sebastian had finished. He smiled at them all when he had silence again, and spoke. "After I left Wes at Penn station on that fateful night, I might have ended up wandering off in a dream, and I might have ended up being tailed through the streets by a kid with a knife… It was ok in the end. He ended up falling into the Hudson River and I rescued him. It is starting to seem though as if death was trying to give us all a big scare that night, what with Ethan being mistaken for Jeff, and Flint and Beats nearly setting Niff's loft on fire…"

"In our defence," interjected Flint, "that was actually Tina."

"The point is that most of us were involved in some sort of life threatening situation, with a few notable exceptions, like Trent."

"Actually," said Trent, instantly attracting everybody's attention. "if Carole hadn't been her usual vigilant self, I would never have noticed the bare wires on my phone charger, and I might well have been electrocuted when I went to check it in the morning…."

There was another silence, which was broken by Sebastian. "So, can I just ask, how did Jeff and Drew get away with it - and David!" That little comment set them all laughing. He was right of course - somehow, the three he had named had not been under threat of losing their life. The laughter was brief though, as they once more let their thoughts stray back to Wes.

"So," began Thad, "the notes. I will hand them out to you all the next time I see you, which will be at the memorial for Wes at Dalton. I spoke to Principal Lefevre this afternoon, and she is suggesting the weekend after next. She is as devastated as everyone else; Principal Carmichael is inconsolable. Until then, we carry on as normal. We go to work or college; and we don't mope or dwell on things. Wes would not want that. He always wanted us to live, to fulfil our potential. We pay him our best tribute if we do exactly that. So Nick, Jeff, Sebastian - you will start your classes as planned next week. Trent, you have already started…"

"…and I am planning to be in class tomorrow. I'd already made my mind up that it was what Wes would want."

"Good. The same goes for Flint and Beats. We will all have to prepare our own tribute for Wes separately; we can have a brainstorming session to decide on a group song, and once parts are assigned, we can practice alone and then bring it all together on the day. Finally, a more sensitive subject. David. He is in a bad way - let us not forget that Wes was his best friend, his oldest friend, not just a Warbler. He is with Mercedes just now, but he isn't great. I do not want him bothered. Do you all understand that? He is to be left alone…"

The others looked startled at the aggression in Thad's voice as he said those last words. "Ok, can I just ask who put him in charge," whispered Beats.

"Yeah, he is kind of taking it for granted that we are just going to go along with everything," replied Flint in low tones.

"As Trent would have said back in the day, this is a bit of a kangaroo court," agreed Sebastian.

"Someone needs to take charge," hissed Nick in disgust. "Just leave him alone."

"Yeah," said Jeff.

"Oh, please, stop mocking us!" said Flint.

Thad could see the others start to argue amongst themselves. He had seen things like this so many times from his spot at the council table. So, he knew what he had to do…

The noise, when it came, startled them all. It was a sound that reverberated at them from the past - it was one that they had not expected to hear again anytime soon. As one, their heads swung back to the computer screen to stare at the picture from L.A.

"Mr Bangy….?" breathed Trent.

"Yeah, it is. Wes sent him to me to look after. Now, as the head of council traditionally holds the gavel…"

"…Wes has kind of nominated you as his successor. Sooner you than me," said Trent. "It was bad enough doing it unofficially for a few months…."

"Congratulations seem to be wrong in the circumstances, but yeah, we support his decision, don't we Nicky?" said Jeff, his husband nodding in agreement.

"If there has to be someone in charge, we could do a heck of a lot worse - like me," Sebastian concurred. Flint and Beats, also nodded in agreement.

"So, what kind of music for the memorial, and more importantly, just how bad is David?" said Flint.

"I am worried that David might never be quite the same after this. It is almost as if someone has stolen all the light out of his eyes. But with all of us, and Mercedes, we can, given time, get him more or less back."

"And how about you, Thaddie?" said Jeff. "Are you really ok?"

"Honest answer. I feel like a kid that has been given an ice cream, then before they have the chance to enjoy it properly, it has fallen out of the cornet and is ruined. I thought for years that I was waiting in vain for him to reciprocate the love that I had for him. The minute that he finally does, he dies. At least I got a kiss before he died. I could have done with a lifetime of them. But hey, there is nothing anyone can do. I just have to accept it, and try and go on with my life…"

They all agreed that there was nothing more to say after that, at least not tonight. Thad was the first to sign off, so that he could go and check up on David and Mercedes. He found that his friend had cried himself to sleep, and was curled up, fully clothed, on the top of his bed, still clinging to Mercedes. Normally, she would not have permitted such an intimate position to occur, but tonight, she had let him hold her. He needed so much comfort; more than she could perhaps give. She had spoken with his mother that night, and although she was deeply upset herself, she had concurred with her opinion. What David needed right now was to be shown that he was loved; that he was not alone; and that things would get better for him in the future. But Mrs Thompson had also warned Mercedes that he might take a very long time to get over the uncontrolled ending of his epic bromance with Wes, if indeed he ever did fully get over it at all. All any of them could do was be there for him and support him as he tried to rebuild his life after the chaos. Mrs Thompson had also been deeply concerned about Thad - when Mercedes told her that he seemed to be handling it fairly well, she had not been convinced for a moment. She believed that it was only a matter of time…

Once Thad logged off, Trent followed suit, citing early classes the next day to prepare for. If he was being honest, that was only part of the reason that he had to go. The main part was that he desperately needed Rory to pull him into his arms and just hold him. He was so lucky to have the man he loved - like Nick and Jeff, he wasn't alone tonight; never would be again if he was lucky. Sebastian was in a similar position with Dave. Thad would go to bed alone, and the pain that he must be feeling was surely unbearable. As of yet, he was refusing to acknowledge it, or he was putting on a darn good show. One day he would crack, and he just prayed that one of them was around when he did…

With Trent gone, Sebastian decided that he should head home, and although the others tried to protest, he was insistent. Beats and Flint ended up following him out of the door - they did both have work the following day after all, and Wes would have wanted them to carry on. Nick and Jeff found themselves alone in the loft, at least for a short while, as Sam, who had sat quietly in the kitchen whilst the Warblers had talked decided he should go home, promising them he would send Mike back over. The latter was still crying his eyes out when Sam walked in - and the sight of one of his strongest friends breaking down was enough to tip him over the edge. Rachel was swiftly over to pull him into her arms, and guide him across the room to the others. In the end, he found himself sat next to Mike, the pair of them in tears, their friends all close to them, trying to offer comfort. They had not been as close to Wes as the Warblers, but all of the New Directions had respected him. Now he was gone, and there was nothing to fill the void; nothing would ever be quite the same again.

None of them that night could see Wes, but he had been there, ignoring the pain in his back and Kurt and Blaine's entreaties to stay in bed. They had reluctantly taken him first to the loft that he had until recently called home. He had sat in a corner, and had cried as hard as all of his boys had when they arrived to be together. The fact that most of them had suffered their own near death moments still astounded him; hearing about his Thad all over again had reduced him to an emotional wreck. This, combined with the physical pain from his growing wings, had forced him to leave - but he had decided he could not do so without going across the landing. There he discovered the overwrought and emotional Mike, and if anything, seeing him was worse. It made him recall the first time he had met the younger man, at that summer camp - it had rained a lot that year, and as a consequence, tensions had risen. Mike, with his love for dancing, had been an easy target for the other boys in his cabin until Wes had intervened. He had talked to him, had mentored him, and the result was that Mike had become much tougher, and more in control. All of that seemed to be coming undone tonight - so much so that he heard Brittany ask Santana if Mike had become Tina for a while. He had to smile, because it was as if their personalities had been swapped.

His final stop that night was L.A., where he sat on the end of the bed as Mercedes quietly sang to his broken Davie. His best friend looked so gaunt, so distressed. He knew that the moment that he had his wings, and would be visible to them all once more, he would return to him. He had to be his priority, even over Thad. David needed to see that he was ok; was an angel; was going to be around for him. As for Thad, he had promised him that he would always be there for him, and as he observed him, curled up in a ball on his bed, he repeated that oath all over again. He was never going to desert any of them.


	41. Wings for a Warbler

**Wings for a Warbler**

That night, the pain that Wes was experiencing was at a new high. His back felt as if someone was taking a saw to it, over and over again. It was as if his spine was being shattered into a million pieces, jammed back together again, and then broken once more. He was in such agony that he, rather ironically, wished that he could die. That night, the physical presence of Kurt and Blaine was no longer sufficient to soothe him. They had to actually hold him tight; as tightly as they would usually have held each other in moments of distress. Even then, Wes could find no relief from his pain or any kind of rest. So it was that Kurt and Blaine took it in turns to sleep that night, one staying awake to care for Wes whilst the other dozed fitfully beside them. There wasn't much more that they could say other than it would all be over soon, and that it would all be worth it in the end. Wes did not agree with that sentiment at the moment, and both of them could sympathise as they recalled their own time in the situation. It ended up being a long night for all three of them. Somehow, Wes finally fell asleep, exhausted, just before 5am, and on seeing that he had, Kurt and Blaine joined him in sleep.

Elizabeth allowed the three of them to sleep on until 9am, far later than she would normally have permitted. She had expected Wes to go through the transition process quickly, but she had realised that he would be progressing far faster than anticipated the day before. His body was in tune with his mind - his mind needed to get back to his boys as fast as possible, and so his body had done its part. In the process, his pain had amplified to a level that very few people could have borne. That morning, when she had entered the boy's loft, she knew that the process was over. The scene that had greeted her in the bedroom had melted her heart. Her two boys were curled in on either side of Wes; his arms were around them, holding them as closely. She left them to sleep, but not before she noticed the telltale signs on Wes' back.

She went to make Finn some breakfast - he was more than capable of doing so himself, but she liked to mother him every so often. She promised to give him a call the moment that she finally woke the other three up. When the time came to do that, it wasn't easy at all - Wes was the most awake, the other two drifting off again, until she asked the question "So, Wes, how is your back today?"

That woke Kurt and Blaine up - when Wes replied "Actually, it isn't painful at all…" they bounced off the bed in eager anticipation. Elizabeth offered Wes breakfast first, but he declined - he was far too keen to see the new additions to his body. So, she called Finn, who appeared with his toothbrush still in his mouth - that made Wes laugh out loud, and Kurt scold his stepbrother. Blaine explained carefully to Wes what he needed to do, then stood back and waited as his friend and mentor did exactly what he had been told to do. With a draught, a pair of wings emerged from Wes' back, and the others in the room could only gasp. Wes made a slow move towards the wall mirror, getting used to the strange notion of having something large and cumbersome protruding from his back. Once in front of the mirror, he finally looked up and saw them. His wings were mainly of the purest white, with red and navy blue bands running across them. 'Dalton colours!' he thought. 'Only to be expected I suppose.' As he stood there, he suddenly felt very humble - he didn't know quite what he had done to deserve being given such a magnificent reward.

His first instinct was to head immediately to L.A. to see David, but Elizabeth stopped him. He needed to have some breakfast before he went anywhere, and he also had to have a brief tutorial in wing care from Kurt; Blaine had excused himself to go and have a quick private chat with Elizabeth. Kurt could sense how keen Wes was to get back to see his flock, and so, as the former Head Warbler ate his toast and cereal, Kurt outlined the various things that he needed to do to keep his wings in perfect order. It was all pretty self explanatory - and it helped that it was already second nature to Wes to present a neat, tidy and dapper appearance to the world. It would be no great hardship to have to curl his wings around himself twice a day to check for loose or damaged feathers. It would not be a chore to wash them all thoroughly. He was also told very quietly by a blushing Kurt what he would feel if he stroked the tips of his feathers. Of course, Wes tried it out, and was rewarded with the same tingles that all the others had experienced in their own time. After breakfast, he had to make another choice - a quick first flying lesson, or leave now to go and see David and Thad, and then all the others in their turn. Blaine had returned by then, and after whispering to Kurt the words "Not on the other list," he was the one that asked him the question. He knew what his answer would be. It was no contest really - fly through the skies, as free as a bird, or return to his wounded and mourning flock, still reeling from his early death. It was only ever going to go one way. Flying lessons were placed on hold until later, and instead, Kurt and Blaine prepared themselves for another busy day going from place to place.

It was just after 7am on Tuesday morning in L.A. Just over 24 hours since David's whole world had been torn apart by one phone call. Not much more than 48 hours since Wes had passed away. In their tiny apartment, Thad sat on the top of his bed, neither fully awake or asleep. It had been a long night; he had barely slept a wink, having spent half the night sitting by David's bedside as his friend cried, or tossed and turned in his sleep as a nightmarish vision of Wes' death clouded his dreams. Thad had sent Mercedes home in a cab just after 3am - she was exhausted, but whilst David was so upset, she could not bring herself to go. In the end, Thad had convinced her to go with the argument that someone needed to be there for David the following day, and it made most sense for it to be her. She had hugged him as she left - told him he was being so strong and brave. He did not feel that way - he felt like a fraud, masquerading in the blazer of the Head Warbler, the gavel wrong in his hand. He knew why he had been chosen, but the task ahead was onerous. There were many pitfalls in the vicinity, and if he was unlucky, he would be found wanting before all that needed to be done had been brought to a satisfactory conclusion. Just now, all Thad wanted to do was close his eyes - he could allow himself a few minutes of sleep. With half an ear open for David in the next room, he closed his eyes and drifted off…

Wes arrived to that scene. In one room, Thad was sat up on the bed, eyes shut and sound asleep. In the next room, David was awake, his eyes filled with tears, which had begun almost as soon as he was fully awake. He was being quiet as he knew that Thad had had no sleep, and he didn't want to completely wear out his friend. He didn't acknowledge the draught that came from the wings of Kurt and Blaine as they arrived on escort duty, his head bowed down to his chest. Wes stood silently for a moment at the foot of David's bed, observing his best friend. It almost made him cry to see just how broken he was, his body curled up on itself as he mourned. That was what upset him most - the pain that they were all in - it just wasn't right or fair on any of them. Kurt and Blaine stood silently and waited for Wes to make a move or to say something.

If this situation had been being played out in their dorm room at Dalton, Wes would have sat on the bed by David and simply asked him what was wrong. He could do that now, but it was not likely that he would feel his presence - he would make no impact after all on the mattress; and he knew exactly what was wrong. Nevertheless, he sat down anyway, his eyes looking straight at David, then uttered the words "Hey, Davie, don't cry…"

As Wes uttered those four words, David's whole body tensed. He knew that voice; he knew he was there; but he was torn. Yes, he did want to see Wes, to have confirmation that his best friend had returned to him. But doing so also meant having to accept that Wes was dead and gone; that he would not be sitting there as his oldest friend, but as an angel. If he didn't look…. But he couldn't help himself. He looked up and saw him, sitting by his side, his own eyes red and tear stained. "Oh Wessie," David whispered, "why you? Of all of the people in the world, why did it have to be you?"

"I don't know Davie. They say that it is all done for a reason, but it doesn't seem right or fair. I was good, behaved myself, stuck to all of the rules, and I still ended up dying… But I have accepted it - I didn't have much choice in the matter, and I'm afraid that you and the others have to accept it too. I can't come back, as much as I would love to. It isn't possible. I am an angel now…"

"I know Wes, and I know that we will all still get to see you, but it's hard. We all need you Wes. You're my best friend; authority figure and mentor to so many, and as for Thad…" David sighed, then swallowed. "Ok, so if you are an angel, and I can see you now, that means that you must have wings. So, do I get to see them?" Wes stood up, smiling at his best friend, and unfurled his wings. After an initial gasp, David stared at him, and then burst out laughing. "Dalton wings - Oh, Wes, trust you to get wings with stripes of Dalton colours…"

Wes smiled, but only for a moment, before he responded "I would give them up in a heartbeat if it meant that I could be with you all still…" He started to cry again, and the sight of it nearly broke the hearts of the two angels that were standing behind him. They could not see his face as it crumpled, or observe the tears streaming down his face unchecked, to drip slowly from the end of his nose; but they could see the way that his shoulders drooped, and with them, his wings, no longer held proudly aloft, which they had been until now. They could feel tears starting to form in their own eyes, and on instinct, they made their way over to Wes, to place a hand on each of his shoulders, to remind him that he was not completely alone. That he had friends with him and that better still, his earthbound friends could still see him. "I'm sorry Davie," Wes sobbed, "it's just so unfair, and I hate it. I hate the fact that I have let you all down and left you on your own. I promised that I wouldn't after everything that happened at Dalton, and.."

"You didn't break your promise Wes - life did. It decided that you had to die, which is unfair. It's weird - you're gone, but you're still here. I can see you and hear you, I just can't touch you. It's ok, really, it is…"

"It isn't though Davie…you miss me already, don't you?"

David nodded and then broke down in heart wrenching sobs once more. He had no idea were all of his tears were coming from. All he knew was that he would give anything to feel his best friend's arms wrapped around him right now; to hear his whispered words of comfort, and to smell the familiar scent that was Wes. That was something that he might never experience again…

His sobs roused Thad from his slumber in the next room. He sighed as he heard them. There was a part of him that just wanted to scream at him, to tell him to man up and stop crying. It rankled with him. He was the one that had just lost the love of his life. He shouldn't have to be the strong one so constantly. It was a display he had to put on; an act to preserve the illusion that he wasn't broken, that he wasn't teetering on the brink of falling apart at the seams. He had never been much of an actor, but now he was giving the performance of a lifetime as the strong, contained boyfriend. He secretly longed to be alone, so that he could scream and let all of the pain out. Instead he closed his eyes for a second, internalised his own pain, and got up from the bed to head to David's room.

As soon as he crossed the threshold, he could hear that David was not alone in crying; that in his tears he had been joined by someone else. He walked over to his friend, and pulled him into his arms, his hand gently rubbing his back, all the time ignoring what else he knew to be in the room until the sobs had died down, almost as if David had suddenly realised that someone would be needing to speak.

"Thaddie?"

One word, spoken in a voice that he knew so very well; had missed so much when he was no longer at Dalton; even more so when a continent had divided them. The voice that he had fallen in love with as much as the man. How he had longed to hear those modulated tones over the telephone, or through the speakers of his computer when they talked on Skype. He could still hear that voice now; but he would not be able to feel the warm hug that had so often followed it. He would be able to call on him at a moment's notice, but it could never be the same, not now. It was too late - they had been separated by the hands of fate just as they had finally approached the time in their lives when they were ready and able to be a couple. If Thad was being honest with himself, he didn't think that he could cope with this, not now, and maybe not ever. He almost wished that he could not see angels, as his heart began to pound faster and faster in his chest. David had stopped crying so much, and was now staring at him…

"Thaddie…?"

And he got up, and he ran. Out of the room, out of the front door and down the street. He had no idea where he was going. He just needed to get away…

He ran and ran, his feet taking him instinctively in the direction of a small park that faced out towards the Pacific; a place he had come to more than once when he just needed to clear his head and just think. This was one of those instances. As his feet finally slowed and he approached his usual bench, his mind started to race. What had he just done? He had just run away from Wes, his Wes. He had abandoned David. He had just run some considerable distance in a tattered old pair of sneakers and some worn and comfortable sleep shorts… He sat on the bench and just stared out at the seemingly limitless ocean, under a clear blue sky. He shouldn't have run. He had left without his keys, his wallet and his cellphone. David, already stricken with grief, would now be worried about the fact he had gone AWOL. Some friend he was. He wasn't fit to be Head Warbler. He didn't want to be. There was only one thing that he really wanted, and he could… Just not now. After the memorials, after all of this was over, then he would do exactly what he needed to do…

He hid those thoughts as he felt a draught, and looked up to see Blaine in front of him, his arms folded across his chest. "You're lucky - I managed to convince Kurt to stay with Wes and David. He would be screaming his head off at you right now if he was here instead of me…"

"Telling me that I am a coward, a terrible friend, and to get back there right this minute?"

"Oh, yeah. That, and guilt tripping you with the fact that your rapid departure sent David sobbing again, and if I am right, you also managed to completely break Wes' heart. I don't know though. I get it Thad. Maybe if I had been able to see Kurt when he died and he had turned up to see me, I'd have run off too…"

"Been a bit hard on crutches," said Thad quietly, with a hint of a smile in his voice.

Blaine laughed quietly. "You know what I mean - it would have affected me badly too. You are getting the change to see him though. You are so lucky in having that."

"I know. It's just…it's just so hard to accept it right now. He's gone, and he can't come back, but I can see him. It isn't enough. I want to feel his arms around me. I want to be his little Thaddie again. It hurts so much that I can't be…but, I don't want to hurt him. So, can you bring him here, then leave us to talk. Is that possible?"

Blaine nodded, and vanished. Thad returned to staring at the ocean. He felt the draught again, a hushed exchange of voices, then a draught again.

"The view from here is beautiful. The sea just seems to go on for ever, never to end. I wish that life was like that for us…"

"It isn't though Wes. It ends, far too soon in some cases. Those of us that are left behind are like the cliffs, being eroded by the waves. We are slowly being made part of that eternal ocean, but the process is going to take many, many years… What did we do wrong Wes? What did we do that they punished us both like this? Why did they let you die when I finally had you to myself? Why us, Wes?"

"I don't know, and if I am perfectly honest, I don't know if I want to know. Did you read my letter?"

Thad shook his head. "It was too raw yesterday, too soon. I felt that if I didn't read it, then maybe it wouldn't have happened. Silly, I know…"

"No, Thad, it isn't silly. I see the logic. If I had the chance to go back, then maybe I would have tried to cheat death - God knows that I thought about it. Just not going back to Boston, altering my plans - but it was like Blaine. I had to die, and I didn't want to risk you witnessing my death. I wanted your final memory of me…"

"…to be happy. A kiss before dying. It was the best moment of my life so far…"

"It **_was_** the best moment of my life," said Wes sadly.

Thad nodded. "I miss you Wessie. My body and soul are aching. My heart just feels so empty. Why us…?" Thad started to cry, and seconds later, Wes had joined him, tears now running down both of their faces.

How long the two of them sat there, sadly staring into each others eyes, both of them in floods of tears, no-one could later say. Not a word was spoken, their eyes being enough to tell each other the full story of the pain and loss that they felt. A few people passing by noticed Thad crying, seemingly alone to their eyes, but in an uncaring world, nobody even stopped to ask if he was ok. They both fought hard to avoid the natural urge to hold each other; to grab for the other's hand, because they both knew that when Thad's hand slipped straight through that of Wes, it would make their hearts break all the more. In the end, they couldn't cry any longer, the tears no more able to come than they were able to kiss again. Eventually, Thad smiled wanly at Wes and sighed. "We'd best be getting back to David. Though I am sure that Klaine will be doing their utmost to stop it, he is certain to be freaking out by now with how long we have been away."

"True. When you just ran off…well, it wasn't pretty. David isn't as strong as he likes to make out, never has been. To be honest, I don't think that any of us Warblers are…"

"I know that we aren't. We stick together because we give each other the strength to deal with the world. I mean, only Ethan and Drew are out in the world, in separate colleges, but they still call each other on Skype daily. Trent was brave enough to face going to Washington for school on his own, but he knew that Burt Hummel was usually there if he needed help or support. And well, we all looked up to our leader…"

"And now that I am gone, it might all start to fall apart - is that what you are trying to say? The Warblers are bigger than one man. We were always the sum of all our parts. Lord knows I needed all of you, and if it hadn't have been for the wonders of Skype and E-mail, I would never have survived on my own at Harvard. That is the one thing that all of us have in common - we are nowhere near as strong as we make out to be."

With that, they started to walk back towards the apartment. They did so in silence, Wes knowing that Thad would look as if he was talking to himself otherwise. They were half way back before Wes suddenly realised that unlike David, Thad had not asked to see his wings. He had realised too that what he was seeing in Thad was not the whole picture. He could see that he felt so alone in the world now; that he was not coping with his death as well as he portrayed - to an extent, he was still in denial, and possibly felt that if he denied that Wes was an angel, refused to accept that fact, he could still believe that he was alive. He knew that such an idea could not be healthy; that in time it would do him harm, so he did the only thing that he could do. He unfurled his wings as they walked. The moment that he did so, Thad stopped dead on feeling the draught. He turned to face Wes, and allowed himself to smile as he took in the sight. "Pretty impressive Wessie… I wish that you were actually solid and that you could hold me - because then you could pick me up and fly us home…"

Wes burst out laughing and shook his head. "Cheeky devil! If I didn't love you…" He stopped as Thad blushed. "I can't, and in any case, I don't actually know how to fly yet. I wanted to see my boys first - you and David my priority. Speaking of David…" Thad nodded and they started to walk again.

When they walked back through the door, David jumped up off the sofa and pulled Thad into a tight hug. He was startled at first, but very quickly he found himself hugging back just as hard. He wasn't Wes, but just now he needed to be held, and so did David. They stood there, watched over by Wes, who was nodding in approval. There was a knock at the door, and after a moment it was cautiously opened by Mercedes. She looked sad and tired, having seen the man that she loved knocked for six by the death of his best friend. When her eyes alighted on Wes, they lit up a little, and he smiled back, allowing his wings to unfurl again.

"Dalton wings - how appropriate, and absolutely beautiful."

"Thank you, Mercedes. They will take a bit of getting used to…"

She nodded and turned her head back to look at David and Thad. They were no longer hugging, but now stood side by side, and both of them were smiling sadly as they looked at her and Wes. It was going to take a while, but they would all get through this, as long as they stuck together.


	42. Washington & Bushwick

**Washington & Bushwick**

Wes stayed with David and Thad for a short while longer, then he knew that he had to go. They were sad, but they knew he had to move on to see the others who missed him just as much. He stopped briefly in Ohio to see Ethan and Drew, who were both overjoyed to see him. Wes made his next stop in the library of George Washington University in DC. In the quiet aisles of the American law section, where Trent Nixon was staring at the spines of the seemingly identical textbooks in front of him. He had attended all of his classes that day, having sat quietly in the back of the room, alone with his thoughts; listening to the lecture and taking his notes, but completely on autopilot. He wasn't really there if he was being completely honest. 'Keep at it Trent; can't weaken. Wes would not want me to weaken,' he thought to himself. He stared again at the books in front of him, and barely felt the draught from flapping wings as a small group of angels appeared in the aisle next to him. They stood there in silence watching him for a moment or two, before Wes took a step away from the others, and made his way towards his boy.

"Hello, Robin," said Wes. He watched as Trent suddenly went stiff, still staring straight ahead, his hands starting to shake as he reached towards the book shelf for support. "What are you looking for?" Trent pulled out a sheet of paper with his reading list on it from his pocket, and held it out, the title of the text he was looking for underlined at the top. Wes studied the shelves for a moment, and then spoke again. "Second shelf from the top, third volume from the right." Trent nodded and reached out for the book in question, taking it firmly in his hands.

"Thanks Wes. I would have been here for hours… So, how are you? Ok, so that was a stupid question! Have you been to see David and Thad? I had to come back here today, because it is what you would have wanted, but I am not sure that I have actually learnt anything. I mean, I wrote a lot of notes, but some of them don't seem to be all that clear or coherent if I am truthful…"

"That doesn't matter, I am sure you will work out what you are supposed to know. I just want to say how proud I am of you, my little Robin. You made the decision that you had to return here today all on your own, before Thad even spoke to any of you. Anyway, you've had a long day - I think it would be best if you went home now, and I will see you there, and hopefully Rory too, if he can get away from the office." Trent smiled and nodded in agreement, before grabbing his satchel. After checking out the text book, he hurried home faster than usual.

When he opened the door to the apartment, he heard voices at once, and quickly realised that Rory was there, and talking to Kurt and Blaine. He put down his bag and threw off his jacket, before hastening into the lounge. There indeed was his beautiful fiancé, sat with Kurt and Blaine, and on the far side of the room, staying out of the conversation for just now, was Wes. He smiled warmly as Trent came into the room, his smile growing wider as Rory jumped up and pulled him into a hug. "I am so glad you are home. It must look so strange when I am here talking to three angels alone.." Trent chuckled quietly at the idea that Rory was so concerned about how it might look if anyone saw him seemingly talking to himself, particularly as their apartment was on the fourth floor, and anyone that called would be highly likely to know the circumstances in any case.

"So, Trent, Rory, how is being engaged treating you?" said Wes. "I am so happy for the two of you.."

"Thank you Wes," said Trent. "It's good, but it isn't perfect…"

"…because you aren't around to share in our happiness in the same way anymore," said Rory, finishing Trent's sentence.

Wes sighed. "I know, but the thing is, I am here for you, just in a different way. I can be with you now at a moment's notice, anytime that you need me. I will admit that I am sad that I will not be able to stand up at your wedding, and tell the world exactly how proud of the two of you I am. But I will be there. I will be there to watch over you every day for the rest of your lives together…"

"That's true," said Trent, Rory nodding from his spot beside him. "And of course, now you will have massive wings too." Wes laughed, and knew what he had to do. He unfurled his wings, and couldn't help but smile at the look of sheer delight on the faces of the two young men standing in front of him.

Having promised that he would return to see them again the following day, specifically at dinner time, when they could ask Burt and Carole to join them - because they would be equally anxious to see Wes - the three angels left Washington DC. After they had gone, Rory knew instinctively to wrap his arms round Trent, half expecting him to immediately burst into tears. Instead, he was rewarded with a long kiss, and then a smile. "You're surprised at how calm I am. Wes was right. He will be around the two of us more now than he ever could have been when he was at Harvard; he will be around more for the remainder of our lives. I am not saying that I am over my grief - I still feel an aching sense of loss in my heart - but it doesn't feel quite so bad anymore. It almost feels normal again. He wouldn't want us to dwell on his passing, so we won't. Let's talk about our wedding. About the future. About how many children we are going to have."

"I'd like two, I think. One of yours, one of mine. And I'd like them to be close to my brother and your family. They'll call all of our friends their aunts and uncles. Because we are all a family. In times of joy, we come together to celebrate…"

"…and in times of sadness, we share our loss. Yes, I agree, we should have two kids. So, the wedding. Let's not wait for too long. In fact, here is an idea - let's get married in the same week as Séamus, then your Nana only has to fly over to the states once."

"So, next summer?"

"Yeah, next summer, if you think you can wait that long."

"I'd wait for you forever, my sweet boy," replied Rory. The rest of their evening was spent in hugs and kisses; in laughter; in love. If Wes had been watching them, the sight of the two of them would have made him very happy indeed.

After Washington, Wes, Kurt and Blaine headed north to a city that they were all very familiar with; to a loft that they had all called home. They made a brief stop on the way at Princeton, startling Beats and Flint at first, but then spending a pleasant half hour just catching up. It was quiet in the Bushwick loft when they got there - Nick was attempting to read one of his college texts and failing. Mike had gone out to dinner with Tina, whose return to Brown would take place the following day; and Jeff had been asked to work a short shift at the diner. He had not wanted to go - he did not feel able to sing the upbeat tunes that the Spotlight Diner was noted for, and he knew full well that there was no appetite for dirges amongst the clientele. Santana had offered to let him work his full shift on the counter, and when Brittany had begged him to come as she wanted her newly married dolphin at her side, he knew that he was beaten and had no option but to agree. Jeff had donned one of his new work shirts and bid Nick farewell, but only after a long lingering kiss. It had made Nick smile to see the words Jeff Sterling-Duval embroidered on the shirt, and his fingers might have traced over them more than once… Something good had happened that weekend, and although a tragedy had over shadowed it, he was still married, to his best friend, his soulmate, the love of his life.

Jeff had been nervous the moment he saw the light streaming out of the diner's windows; had heard the sound of voices raised in happy song. He had wanted to turn around, head home, pull his Nicky onto the four poster bed, and draw the curtains, so that the two of them could hide away together from all of the pain in the world. Brittany had his hand and pulled him on, through the staff entrance and into the locker room. He took off his coat and hung it on his usual peg, his actions automatic. He stood there lost in thought, and he might have ended up staying there all night had it not been for Brittany's hand appearing again, to pull him out and drag him to his designated place on the counter. Santana had made sure that everyone knew what had happened over the weekend, so no-one crowded him, despite their desperation to see the rose gold band on his finger. The girl that he replaced merely smiled at him, and quietly said "That ring is perfect. You are so lucky to have Nick." She gave him the briefest of hugs, then left. Jeff had to admit to himself that she was right. He did have his Nicky and he was so very lucky. As his shift wore on, the music around him started to make him feel less sad, and eventually he began to subconsciously hum along. From her spot on the floor, Santana smiled at him. Her plan had worked. Jeff was looking happier, and he wasn't dwelling on Wes anymore.

Back in the loft, Nick was attempting to read a paragraph on international law again when he felt the first draught. He knew what it signified and he was glad. He didn't even look up - he just said "Hey Wes." His voice was soft and his tone was low.

"Hey, Nick. How is married life treating you? Or has everything that has happened with me left you unable to think about that?"

"Marriage is fine - it is just like it was before, but with the whole world fully aware just how much I love my beautiful Jeff by the ring on my finger. Honestly, yes, it has been kind of overshadowed by events, but you had no control over them. How could you have? How is the afterlife treating you? Are those three looking after you properly?" At that, Nick finally allowed himself to look up, and saw Wes sat on the coffee table in front of him, his legs crossed and almost in the lotus position, a big smile on his face. He was slightly shocked, after all the years of hearing Wes complain about people sitting inappropriately on the furniture.

"I know, I know, I'm sitting on the table. I guess being dead means that I get to do all the things that I secretly always wanted to do, but never did whilst I was alive and constrained by rules and decorum. As for being looked after, they have been wonderful, all of them. You know that they have a Dalton in heaven? And it is spot on, down to a copy of Mr Bangy. I shocked them though - I sat on the council table like this too…."

"We'd have felt the full force of Mr Bangy if we had done that," said Nick with a chuckle. Then his face fell slightly, and he continued, "I miss you Wes. I felt so lost when Santana told us. It was as if the rock to which we were all anchored in the storms of life had been eroded away to nothing, and we were all adrift and alone. Did they tell you that I screamed the place down, begging you to come back?" Wes nodded, memories of Finn's face when he had told him in his mind. "I have to carry on though," said Nick, more cheerfully. "I have to try and forget and just move on."

"You do. You are newly married and should be planning your future with your husband, not dwelling on my demise."

"It still doesn't seem real somehow, even though we have been told, have seen the story in the press…. I think it isn't helped by the fact that there won't be a funeral. I mean, I know there is going to be a memorial, but it won't be the same. We never got a chance to say goodbye to you properly."

Wes sighed deeply at Nick's words. It was a hurdle for all of his friends, and he would never forgive his mother for her actions. He could only imagine what would have happened had Burt not waited for Blaine to be able to attend Kurt's funeral, and he saw why it was so difficult for them all. "My family had no right to do what they did. Do you know, there were only five people at my funeral… Look, I am sure that my memorial will help. I have left a full set of instructions with Thad, but I want it to be like Blaine's funeral - happy and fun."

"So, it is true what Thad said - that you knew… I overheard Sam and Santana talking yesterday, and they seemed to be saying that you knew what was going to happen…"

"Yeah, I knew Nick. It became clear to me the night before your wedding that I was Blaine's big collection. So I sent you all off to bed, had a good cry about it, then wrote my Will and a whole pile of notes. I posted them off the following morning, along with…"

"Mr Bangy. Thad used him on us yesterday when we all started to argue… Wes, when I was choking in the honeymoon suite, I thought that it was me - that I was Blaine's big collection. There is a part of me that wishes it had been me instead of you. Admittedly a very small part that then thinks of Jeff, and is so glad that it wasn't me."

Wes smiled and shook his head. "I am glad it wasn't you, Nick. It would have been a complete nightmare for all of us if it had been…"

Nick looked up, his eyes moist, and then he noticed the clock, and jumped up. "Jeff will be home soon - he was only doing half a shift; Santana is trying to break him back in gently. I have to get started on dinner…. Are you going to stay until Jeff gets home? He will be so upset if he misses you." Wes nodded, not needing to say that he wouldn't dream of leaving yet. "Ok, good. So, come into the kitchen with me, I just wish that you were able to give me a helping hand…"

In the kitchen Wes ended up sitting on the kitchen table, which made Nick laugh and joke that death appeared to have given him a fetish for sitting on tables. As he prepared all the necessary components of a Fettuccini Alfredo, a recipe that he had been given by Kurt a few months earlier, Wes recalled the night that it had taken place. He could recall arriving home from NYU one night, a few days before the start of Hunter's trial to hear Kurt scolding Nick for not following his instructions to the letter for preparing a perfect Alfredo sauce. The result had however been good, and Jeff had declared that it was his new favourite dish - Wes and Sebastian had been in agreement. After that, Nick had been encouraged to prepare it at least every two weeks, and each time he had made it better than before, adding his own little tweaks to what he had been taught.

Wes had to admit that the sight of the dish being prepared made him slightly jealous until he heard Kurt tell Blaine that he would make it for all of them when they got back to heaven tonight. As he cooked, Nick chatted to Wes, firstly about life in general, and then they moved on to food - Wes promised to come back and teach Nick what he knew about Chinese cookery, the latter agreeing that it would be good, as he was particularly fond of his old friend's recipe for Chow Mein.

Dinner was almost ready when they heard the loft door open, and Jeff call out "Hi, Nicky!" Nick could only smile as he realised that his husband now sounded far happier than he had been when he had left earlier. He walked into the kitchen and pulled Nick into a warm embrace and a lingering kiss. "Something smells good - it's Fettuccini Alfredo isn't it?"

"Yes, it is, my love. But before that, I am getting a bit worried about your eyesight…" Nick said as he motioned towards the table with his head.

Jeff turned, and froze, albeit briefly. "Wessie…" he said, his face falling slightly. "Oh, Wes, I am so sorry about what happened. You didn't deserve it…but there is nothing that we can do to change it, and at least we can still see you, which makes it better. It isn't ok, far from it, and your death has left a massive gap in our lives which we can never hope to fill. But as I said, we can still ask you for advice when we need it; we can still sing to you and with you. I promise you one thing - we are all going to look out for Thad for you. He is trying to be so strong, but I think that it is all an act." Nick nodded in agreement. Wes wasn't so sure, but he did share their concern…

Wes ended up sitting at his old place at the table as Nick and Jeff shared their meal. He smiled happily as he realised that the two of them were as much in love as they ever had been. They talked about each other's day; there was mild flirting and moments of great tenderness. Wes was happy to see that Nick was now leaning on Jeff more, rather than always being the supportive one. The two boys did not forget that he was there, and involved him in their conversation, Jeff telling him all about the latest events at the diner. He could see why Santana had brought Jeff in that day, and he guessed that deep down, Nick knew why she had too.

After the pasta was finished, Nick announced that he had tried something new that day; something that he and Jeff had sampled in London and fallen in love with - he had made a Treacle Tart. "Ok," said Wes, who had heard Jeff eulogising about the dessert almost daily since they had returned from their trip, "you waited until I was dead to finally make this…" He instantly regretted his words as he saw tears welling up in Nick's eyes. Things could have got awkward, but at that moment they heard the front door opening again, and the sound of two voices. Wes mouthed the word "Sorry" to Nick, who smiled, nodded and blinked away his tears. Jeff smiled too, his arm around his husband's shoulders in a protective manner.

"It looks delicious Nicky," Jeff said.

"It does Nick," said Wes. "I am just jealous that Jeff gets to taste it and I don't. As far as I am aware, Kurt has never made a Treacle Tart - you might just have to teach him the recipe."

"Wes…!" Mike stood at the door to the kitchen, Tina by his side. He had heard the sound of happy voices as he entered the loft and his first reaction had been positive. It meant that Nick and Jeff's love for each other had not been damaged or indeed lost by the sudden grief that had been inflicted upon them during the honeymoon phase of their marriage. He had only noticed the third voice as he was about to step into the kitchen, and when he saw who was there, sat in their usual place at the head of the table, he had frozen. For one brief moment, his brain hoped that the last few days had all been some hideous nightmare - that he had fallen asleep on the night of the wedding, and everything since had been one long, all too vivid, trick of the mind. But then he felt the pain from his burnt arm; he heard the shocked little gasp from Tina, and he knew that the happy scene in front of him had only two living people in it. After he had said his name, he could not do anything more. He felt unable to speak. Tina had left his side and made her way over to the table, a look of expectation on her face. Wes stood up, and began to walk in his direction. Mike turned and headed for the living room, to slump down on the sofa and try hard not to burst into tears all over again. He was unaware that Wes had followed him; that Nick had stopped Tina from doing the same. Nick knew that the two of them needed to talk for a while in private.

Mike sat in complete silence, his eyes screwed shut, for several minutes. He knew that Wes would be there, sat by his side, waiting as patiently as always for him to say something. He didn't want to speak, not at first. His mind was too full of all his conflicting emotions. He was happy to see Wes - he had always been, ever since that first summer at Asian Camp, when Wes had befriended him, and taken him under his wing - ironic now, given that he would now actually have wings of his own. But there was something else, and he knew he had to say it, however much it hurt. "You knew. You knew that you were going to die. The morning of the wedding you asked me to keep an eye on Nick and Jeff, told me all their weak spots and foibles. I thought it was because I was their new roommate, but…"

"Yes, Mike. I told you because I knew that I was going to die, and someone had to take care of those two boys. They've suffered so much already, and I feared that my death would be a catalyst that would cause even more pain. I had visions of breakdowns, of grief filled arguments; of them sitting in sorrow, unable to be themselves. It seems that I misjudged the situation so far. Maybe is should have asked them to look after you instead…"

Mike looked up and saw the concern on his friend's face. Wes was the only person that knew just how much he had suffered at the hands of bullies in his first few days at that camp. How far it had gone, and how much further it might have gone had Wes not walked in at the critical moment. He had sworn him to total secrecy, and had gone back to school thinking he would never see him again. Then in his junior year, Mike had found the New Directions competing against the Warblers, lead by Wes. He had kept his distance until one night that they couldn't, and they had found themselves alone together in the kitchen of the Anderson house, at a party Blaine had organised to celebrate the end of the school year. They had talked for a long time that night; their friendship had blossomed, and they had talked via E-mail and Skype once Wes was away at Harvard. It was only now that Mike truly realised just how good a friend Wes had been to him, now it was too late.

"The thing is Mike," Wes said, breaking the silence, "I don't need to ask them, because they will look out for you anyway. I didn't really need to ask you either, if I am honest. So, shall we head back to the kitchen? They will all be wondering what is going on, and if you don't hurry, you might not get to try Nick's Treacle Tart."

The two of them made their way back through to the kitchen, where Tina was eating a slice of Treacle Tart, and Jeff was devouring his second slice as Nick shook his head in disapproval. "Hey Wes," said Tina, in a gap between bites of tart, "it's good that we can see you again. I know that you aren't physically here in the usual sort of way, but you are here - it's complicated, isn't it?" Jeff nodded in agreement, his mouth still full of pastry. Nick smiled as he cut another piece of tart and handed it to Mike, who took it and smiled back.

"I know what you mean, Tina. I can see you all, speak to you, but I can't touch any of you, and as you all grow older, I won't. In fact, I am technically a year younger than I was already - I reverted to the age that I was when Finn died when I got here. That is going to take a lot of getting used to - that, and having wings. I still haven't been shown how to actually fly with them; and honestly, that is kind of a worry, the whole flying thing…"

"Yeah," said Nick casually, "I seem to recall that you screamed like a girl when Blaine took you flying on the night of his wedding, and that was with your eyes shut…" Mike snorted, and Jeff and Tina burst out laughing. "At least we will hear you coming," continued Nick with a grin.

"That was then, Nicholas," said Wes. "Now, knowing that I am in full control, things will be different. I am no longer a frail human after all. I will be able to fly, and unlike you, Jeff, I won't put on weight if I eat a third slice of Treacle Tart…"

Nick grabbed the plate and pulled it away from Jeff, who had been trying to cut himself a sneaky third piece - the latter looked as if he had been slapped, and glared at Wes. "I don't know if I like the new all seeing Wes," he said, "But you are right. I suppose I shouldn't eat any more just now. After all, Mike might like a second slice…"

"Well, it is very nice, but I need to be careful - Tina and I did both have a large slice of Mississippi Mud Pie earlier, with whipped cream…"

"It was comfort food Mike - and you will burn it off when you do your dance exercises later," said Tina. "But if you are worried about it, maybe we could just share a small slice…"

Nick smiled and cut another small slice, placing it between them, and watched as they both started on it.

"Well, Nick," said Wes, "It seems that your foray into the world of sweet pastry has been a success. I guess that you are going to be asked to make this again on a regular basis. Anyway, maybe you can supply the recipe to Kurt some time, and I can try it." Nick nodded, still slightly bemused at the idea that he should be telling Kurt how to bake anything.

Then, he realised that there was something that they had not seen. Something that if he admitted it to himself, he was actually very keen to see. "So, Wes, you haven't been shown how to fly, but you do have your wings - and I don't think for a moment that I am the only person in the room that is desperate to see them." Jeff nodded, as did Mike and Tina as they finished their last mouthfuls of sweet tart.

Wes smiled, and said, "I thought that you'd never ask…" He concentrated and unfurled his wings. He heard gasps of delight from his audience of four; their faces when he looked up again were an absolute picture.

"I thought that the others had nice wings, but compared to you… they are fantastic Wes. I know exactly why they are white - because you were so good. I love the stripes of Dalton colours too - they just make them perfect," said Jeff.

"And it might just be me, but aren't your wings bigger than the others too? Magnificent is the only word fit to describe them…" said Nick.

Mike had tears in his eyes again as he observed them, Tina hugging him close. "Wings to spread over all of my flock, to try and protect you from whatever life throws at you all. And I will try to do that; I will always try to protect you. That will never stop, because I love you all so much…"

"Love you too, Wes," said Jeff with a sniff, as Nick nodded in agreement. Mike and Tina smiled at him, both acknowledging the sentiment.

"Ok, I should go," said Wes. "I still need to go and see Sebastian before I head back. It has been a long day, with L.A., Ohio, DC and Princeton, but I needed to see you all now so that you could see that I was ok - well as ok as I can be in this situation. I needed to see that all of you were doing ok too…"

"As well as can be expected, Wes," said Mike. Wes nodded, telling them all that he would be back soon, then vanished.

There was a moment of silence, then a quiet "Oh, Nicky…" from Jeff before he burst into tears. He was swiftly pulled into his husband's arms and held tightly as he cried, tears also running down Nick's face. Beside them, Mike was sobbing again too, his face buried in Tina's shoulder. She had moist eyes, but she had to admit that she felt the whole thing less than the three boys; she had always liked Wes, but she had never been as close to him as them. She had shed all her tears over Kurt and Blaine, whilst Mike had stayed strong for her - now, however, it was his turn to cry.


	43. Manhattan: On Earth, and in Heaven

**Manhattan: On Earth, and in Heaven**

In a little apartment in Murray Hill, Dave sat quietly in the living room, the television showing a game; but he wasn't watching it. His mind was elsewhere - in the bedroom to be precise, where Sebastian had been lying down in the darkness of the closed curtained room since lunchtime. He had gone to work that morning, but he had been sent home sick at lunchtime, unable to cope with his colleagues or the customers. He had been pretending to be asleep for several hours now - Dave that that he wasn't, but he didn't have the heart to call him out. He knew what was going on - he had felt much the same when he had heard about the death of Kurt - that had left him numb and almost paralysed, unable to face the world, until the day he had tried to sneak in unobserved to see him in his coffin. He had been caught of course, and had been rewarded with a new level of understanding from a group of people he had once despised and vice versa. Because they understood his pain. This time, he did not have the same level of pain as Sebastian - he had liked Wes, but he hadn't known him as well as him. As he played with the ring on his finger - Sebastian's ring - he felt the draught in the room as the unseen Kurt and Blaine dropped Wes off. Dave looked up and was slightly shocked to see just him standing there. He could only smile at the man before him - the man that had never judged him, never brought up his dubious past; had just congratulated him on taming Seb. "He's in the bedroom. Been in there for hours. I think that he needs to see you…"

Sebastian lay on the bed, his face buried in the pillow, trying to block out the noises and sights of the room, of the world around him. He didn't want to face it, not today. All he wanted was for the whole world to go back to the way that it was before.

"This will not do, Sebastian! Where has my smirking Meerkat gone? I demand that he comes back right now!"

"Wes, I would love to, but…"

"But what? If this is because of what has happened to me… well, I am touched, but you can't behave like this. I've got my hands full with David and Thad as it is. Anyway, I didn't think that you cared that much for me."

"Well, darn, my secret is finally out! I am secretly in love with you, Wes, and always have been! I was waiting for you to turn up and whisk me away, but now…."

Wes stared at Sebastian in shock - and then he saw just a hint of a smirk on his face and the sound of a poorly stifled laugh…and the they were both laughing out loud, Sebastian rolling around on the bed as Wes stood by it, bent almost double with laughter. They just couldn't stop themselves laughing - every time they tried, one look at the other's face was enough to set them off once more. They had tears streaming down their faces, but from joy, not sadness. And for the first time since he had found out, Sebastian felt his heart lighten - he felt in fact almost as if nothing had ever happened.

In the living room, Dave had been slightly startled when the laughter began, but as it continued, he had begun to smile, and eventually he too began to laugh, though he didn't even know why the other two had. He was still laughing when the door opened and Sebastian appeared, Wes at his side. He had a broad smile on his face, something that had been absent since the moment Sam and Cooper had told him.

"Well, they do say that laughter is infectious," said Wes, " so it is no wonder that Dave has started up. Maybe we should tell him the truth Sebastian - that you have just declared your undying love for me. Which is terrible, given that the two of you have just got engaged…" Dave stopped laughing abruptly and Sebastian just stared at Wes incredulously. "I'm an angel. We know everything. Either that, or I happened to notice that both of you are now wearing your angel ring on your engagement ring finger - and that the colour of the feather in yours, Sebastian, was wrong. And now, yes, I can see that Dave's ring has a curled feather. Don't look so worried, I'm not going to rush out and tell everyone; but I will say that I am so very happy for both of you."

"It all happened rather suddenly Wes," said Dave. "Having a gun pointed at your head kind of makes you think - and I might have told Sebby that I was going to ask him eventually…"

"And I might just have said yes…"

"And you've kept quiet as you did not want to steal Trent's thunder from him. You are both such good guys. I guess that love really can change a person - it certainly started to change me…"

Sadness returned to Sebastian's face once again. "How is Thad? He was being all strong and in charge yesterday - he was being so masterful I think the gavel might have gone to his head. But….I didn't like it Wes. Even after all he said about you knowing what was about to happen, he should be more upset. David was your best friend, and from what I have been told, he is in bits - you said as much just now. Thad was in love with you, and he is too calm; too sorted; and I am worried…."

"Oh, I agree, he is all of those things. I think he is keeping himself busy, looking after David and planning what needs to be done. As long as he is doing that, he will be fine. When that ends, when he has time to think, that is when he will fall apart. I know that he will. I can only watch, and try to be there for him when he breaks down."

"We will all keep an eye on him Wes; once David is back on his feet, he will be the first one there. I'm sure that Mercedes will be about too. We won't let him down. We all need him to be strong, because if another one of us was to fall - I don't know if any of us could bear it. We've already lost our leader; our big brother; our constant guide and friend…"

"Except that you haven't," said Dave. Sebastian turned to stare at him, but Wes just smiled. "He is still going to be around - I mean, he is here right now. It isn't going to be exactly the same, but he will still be there when you need to talk to him, to ask him for advice. He will still be there to hold you all together. He's just gone ahead to organise things for you all in the long term. I'm going to miss him being around too - I might not have been a Warbler, but I could see in Wes a wisdom and kindness that so few people have these days. I am going to come out and say that I envy the relationship that you all have with Wes - and it is not had, because he is never going to desert you. He'll be there for every big event - when Trent marries Rory; when David marries Mercedes, because that is so going to happen; he'll be there when you and I get hitched. He'll watch us as we raise our children, and grow old. And when our time ends, he will be there with Kurt, Blaine and Finn to welcome us into heaven…"

Sebastian leaned over at that point and kissed Dave. Wes could only smile at them and how domestic they now seemed. "Did anyone ever tell you how smart you are, Dave Karofsky? I love you so much. You are right of course. So, our children - how many do you want, because I think that two would be nice…"

Wes smiled happily as Dave agreed that two would be absolutely perfect. He was so proud of how the two young men in front of him had matured. Was it really less than three years ago that Dave had tried to kill himself and Sebastian had felt almost entirely to blame after one ill timed remarked became the trigger to send him over the edge? That incident had been the start of the transformation that had changed the lives of both young men. Dave had, after a talk with Kurt and a visit from an extremely apologetic Sebastian, become an out, confident gay man. He had earned his place at college with his football skills, and his sexuality was something that nobody there was actually bothered with. Sebastian had realised that being a complete bitch all of the time brought him only short term pleasure; being nice actually brought far more rewards. It had gained him the respect and friendship of Nick, Jeff and Trent. He had needed those friendships so much during the whole of his Senior year, which Hunter Clarington had destroyed. He dreaded to think how much worse things could have been at Dalton if Sebastian had not changed, and had been alone. He might have pulled in so much deeper… But that was the past - now they were together, very much in love and engaged. When he had been told by the eagle-eyed Kurt that they had 'exchanged rings' he had laughed - but now that he had seen the evidence of his own eyes, it did seem that love really did change absolutely everything.

He suddenly realised that they had stopped talking and were both now staring at him. "He's thinking about something - probably us," said Sebastian with a smile. "Probably imagining us with two children; nice house; a good happy life and thinking 'How the heck did that happen? How did the closeted jock and the smirking Meerkat end up there?' It's alright Wes - I think the two of us often wonder that ourselves."

"Every single day I ask myself how I got so lucky," said Dave with a smile, which made Sebastian blush and Wes laugh.

"Me too, Dave, me too," said Sebastian, taking his secret fiancé's hand.

"Actually, I was thinking just how proud I am to know the two of you. How well you work as a couple, perfectly balancing each other out. How you are both going to be big names in your own fields; and how I might just have to reveal a small surprise that I left for you before I died…"

"So you did know then?" said Dave. "That must have been…"

"There were moments during the wedding when I came so close to just blurting it out; and when Nick made that toast to me, I nearly…but I kept it in. Kept it in as you all sang that song before I left. But knowing that I was going to die did give me a chance to make a few decisions and to allow myself a little privilege in honour of my death…" Sebastian's face had begun to fall and there was a wetness in his eyes all over again, but that last point had got him interested. His head tipped to one side, he regarded Wes with curiosity.

Wes smiled at him, and turned towards Dave. "I decide that I should be allowed, as a gift for my forced retiral, to appoint five new honorary Warblers. Each of them will be getting a note to confirm it, from me, when Thad gets a chance to deliver them for me. But maybe I wanted to tell someone myself. Dave, there is a note, containing a Warbler pin, for you. I have thought for quite some time that you would be an ideal candidate for this role, and there is a precedent in Rory. The fact is that you can sing; you have been supportive of us all during the trial; you are friends, close friends now with Nick, Jeff, Trent and Rory after your trip to Europe; and you also make Sebastian very happy. So yes, I have made you a Warbler - if you want to be, that is.

Dave was just staring at him, tears starting to form in his eyes, unable to speak. Sebastian was crying, holding on to him. "Do I want to accept? Yes, Wes, I do! I just wish that I wasn't accepting it from you after your death, because just now all I want to do is hug you…."

Wes took his leave of a happier Dave and Sebastian shortly after his announcement. It had been a long day for him, but he was glad he had done it, and seen all of his boys, bar the youngest two, at his first opportunity. He had travelled the country from L.A. to New York via Washington. He felt guilty at having not seen Jasper and Brad, but he had simply run out of time, and in any case, he planned to visit them the next day when they would both be at Dalton with the current generation of Warblers; some of them would be able to see him too now, he thought, as a consequence of the wedding. Principal Carmichael certainly would, and that made him happy - he knew how much the man felt for him. After that, he would return to New York to visit the New Directions - Santana would be quite upset if he ignored her for too long, not to mention Sam and Brittany.

As he walked along the corridor in their Dalton with Kurt and Blaine, Wes did make one important decision. He stopped and turned to them, making them pause in the walk towards the door to their loft. "I want to spend tonight on my own in my apartment. After all, the two of you went to great lengths to create the place for me, so I should make use of it."

"If you are sure, Wes, then it's ok. We do like having you at our place," Kurt continued, as Blaine nodded in agreement, "It can be quite traumatic adjusting to everything, and sometimes it is advisable to stay with someone for a while…"

"I need to face my demons guys. If I don't do this now, then I might never do it, and end up sharing with you guys fulltime, and then you might start to resent me stopping you doing 'couple stuff'." Blaine blushed, and Kurt just shook his head. Then again, he supposed that Wes did have a point.

So it was that Wes found himself standing in his own living room, the lights of New York twinkling outside the large windows. They had judged the place so well - it was exactly what he would have aspired to for himself and Thad, had he been allowed the time on earth. He blinked the first drops of moisture away as his thoughts returned to his boy, his lost love. Well, not lost, per se, merely postponed and currently unobtainable. He walked over to the window, and tried to place exactly whereabouts in the city he had been located. He saw the Empire State Building to the left; beyond that, further to the left, the Chrysler Building. If he looked to the right then he could see in the far distance the high rise buildings of Lower Manhattan. 'So, with my limited knowledge of the city, I would say that I am somewhere around Eighth Avenue, probably in Chelsea. Not a bad part of town; close to the stuff that I would want to be, but not right next door to Kurt and Blaine either. Yeah, I would probably have chosen to live around here if I was still alive….'

Wes felt a sudden burst of pain as he used that word for the first time since… He moved over and sat down at the piano, lifting the lid to look at the keys, then running his hands over them, feeling how cool they were to his touch. Yes, Blaine needed to teach him how to play, and sooner rather than later. The sound of music would be good; even better if he was creating it himself. His eyes moved on and alighted on the rather fine music centre that he had also been provided with. As well as a dock for his iPod, he saw a number of CDs stacked neatly at its side. He got up to examine them, and as he did, couldn't help but laugh as he realised that Blaine had somehow memorised the one she had owned at Dalton. Each and every one of them was there, in neat alphabetical order. He selected one, a compilation of tunes from which he had got so much inspiration for his choices for the Warblers, and set it to play. As the music began he sat on the sofa, closed his eyes, and pictured himself back in the Senior Commons, sat at the council table, gavel poised as they all bickered over some trivial issue. His boys were all out in the world now, but most of them still harked back to that time. It had been good. As the music played, Wes allowed his tears to fall, his mind full of all he had had and all he had lost. It hurt, and he doubted that it would ever completely stop.

He sat there crying until the moment that the music stopped, the CD having come to an end. He wiped at his eyes and got back up. Coffee was his first thought, and then he realised that he did not need caffeine keeping him awake. Instead he got himself a mug, and made himself some hot chocolate, just as he had done for a sleepless Warbler on more than one occasion. He drank it slowly, the apartment now in silence, his eyes now turning to focus on the photos that sat in frames on the top of the low bookcase. It was there of course; the picture of his Warblers that Jeff was now faithfully reproducing with them all _au naturel._ He looked at it for a moment, then realised what had changed. They might all have been clad neatly in the Dalton blazer but he saw Mike standing amongst them; saw him first then noticed Sam, Finn, Rory, Dave and Sebastian, the latter the only one with any real claim to be there, albeit a year early. He could barely recall the identity of the six actual Warblers they had replaced at the moment, if he was honest. They had chosen when they went out into the world to unbind themselves from the brotherhood of song. The scandal over the steroids could be blamed for that. But what was unforgivable was the fact that when the truth emerged; when first Kurt and then Blaine had died, they had not returned or got in touch. Once a Warbler, but not something they wanted to admit. Wes was disappointed but not shocked. Not really…

The other images included one of him hugging Thad (he had no idea when that had been taken), another taken on what he realised must have been David's first day at Dalton, the two of them smiling broadly as his mother had taken the snap; his own mother would never have done that. Then there was the one that he recognised as having been hidden away by him on receipt. The Warblers of 2007/08. There he stood at one end of the middle row, looking so small. At his side stood ranks of older boys. Wes had been the only freshman admitted that year, due to the fact that the group was overpopulated by Seniors. As he recalled, the auditions the following year had been massive, requiring them to find nine new members to survive… Looking back to the photo he saw sat in the front row the council from that year - Gabriel, the Head, the man who had been his mentor, so good and kind, and now, having graduated, had just taken a junior teaching position at Harvard - they had been supposed to be meeting up for a catch up on the night he had died, back in the real world, Wes suddenly realised. Next to him was Louis, the secretary - he had been a good friend in the end, and had been his immediate predecessor as Head of Council - he was working for a tech firm in Philadelphia. Finally, there was Gabriel's Deputy, Connor. He had nearly been expelled that year, but only because he had punched a boy that was bullying Wes - even with a zero tolerance policy, it still happened. He had been allowed to stay, had taken over from Gabriel in Wes' sophomore year, and was now working for a law firm in Oklahoma of all places. He hoped that someone had told them all what had happened, because they had loved him as much as he had loved his own boys. Like him, the three of them had strived to create a place of safety for them all.

It was getting late now, and he knew that tomorrow would be a very busy day. Flying lessons would no doubt be the first order of the day - Kurt and Blaine watching patiently as he was the one being instructed. There was a part of him that felt fairly confident about it; most of his rational side did not see how he could ever even hope to get off the ground. He had seen Kurt and Blaine fly; had been flown through the air by Blaine, but still… It was going to be a challenge, but he would overcome his doubts and he would master it. He wanted to, so badly. All three of them had told him that flight allowed you to forget everything that you had left behind. He would welcome that - if he could stop picturing Thad flying by his side. He shook his head, and decided that he should get to bed. He took a shower in the oversized cubicle - with a separate tub no less - then dried himself carefully, remembering to ensure that every individual feather was washed, then he proceeded to flap his wings until they were nearly dry. It was whilst he was doing this that he felt absolutely sure that his feet had left the floor, but surely that was all still in his imagination. Job done, he headed to bed, and fell asleep almost the moment his head touched the pillow.


	44. McKinley, Dalton & LA

**McKinley, Dalton & L.A.**

The next morning, after a long sleep, Wes woke up to the sound of his phone ringing. Blearily he grabbed it, just as it stopped. It seemed that some things were the same in heaven as they were on earth. It buzzed with a text from Blaine seconds later, telling him to get up, get dressed and come to breakfast with them - 'Pancakes and Bacon!' Kurt it would appear had not changed one bit if bacon got two exclamation marks from Blaine. He took his time getting ready, after all, he knew what they would be doing that day. Learning to fly. It was a prospect that still filled him with trepidation. He imagined himself falling through the sky, plummeting towards the ground. He knew that he could not die, but he could no doubt still injure himself severely. And yes, after years of being the one in charge, the one that everyone looked up to, he was not relishing the possibility of failing in front of his two boys. 'That is not the attitude, Wesley!' said a little voice in his head. 'Onwards and upwards - and there has never been a more appropriate time for those terms.'

So it was that after a hearty breakfast, he found himself standing with Kurt and Blaine in the middle of the football field at McKinley. "This was Finn's happy place," said Kurt, though he and Blaine had both been happy out here too - as Cheerios in both their cases, and in Kurt's also as the kicker for the football team. It made the perfect spot to teach Wes how to fly - it was open, partially screened by the bleachers, and the ground was reasonably soft if he did fall. They began with a wing check - a careful preen to ensure that everything was in order. Kurt checked over Wes' wings to make sure that they were in perfect condition. Then it was time for a series of stretches, plus mental preparation - that was vital too.

Then it was time for a good old flap, "like you would do to dry yourself," Blaine said. As Wes did that, it was Blaine that noticed. He grabbed at Kurt and pointed; the latter looked for a moment, then smiled broadly. He chuckled as Blaine knelt down, took a good look, and claimed about three inches.

Wes looked at them both with confusion, as he continued to flap his wings. "Wes," said Kurt, "you are currently hovering three inches off the ground, just by flapping your wings, without even thinking about flying. You are going to be a natural, just like we were. It's the final proof needed to show that Finn was right - Warblers do find it easier to fly. The thing is, as we didn't manager to hover by flapping our wings at first, it must also be related to the length of time you were a member." Wes could only grin - he was off the ground. No real height, but he was still up in the air…

Hovering was a great start, but the next step was to launch upwards and gain height. "Ok, so getting up into the air," said Kurt. "Contrary to every comic book you have ever seen, you don't stick an arm in the air above your head first. According to my mom, that is exactly the stance Finn adopted when he was learning - and of course, Nightbird did it too…."

He was rewarded for that by a scowl from Blaine, and Wes couldn't help but laugh. "It was once, Kurt, once. And you didn't give me a warning not to like you just did for Wes! So, Wes, as my dear husband said, no arm above the head. It is all about the angle of your wings when you push up with your legs. The easiest way to illustrate this is for him to actually do it for you…" Kurt turned his back to Wes at that point, and began to flap his wings, each beat slightly faster than the last. He saw Kurt bend his knees slightly, then his wings dipped right down, the tips nearly touching the ground, and as swiftly as they had done, they were thrust back up, and Kurt rose gracefully into the air. "It is all to do with the back and shoulder muscles," said Blaine. "You basically let them go slack, and then shrug your shoulders fast. It is really that simple, and far less complicated than it looks…"

"Ok, so I slacken my back muscles then put all of my energy into one massive shrug. I take it that once I am heading up, I continue in the same way?" said Wes.

"Yes, until you reach the optimum height, then you just need to flap gently to retain the correct altitude. It really isn't that complex when it comes down to it. You are going to manage this just fine, Wes. I have confidence in your ability - I always have had and always will do. So whenever you are ready…."

Wes closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He opened them again and began to slowly increase the speed of his wings. He built up to the moment, facing Blaine, who was doing exactly the same things as he prepared himself to fly up with him. He saw him mouth the word 'Now!' and Wes let his knees bend, his back muscles relax, and then gave the biggest shrug that he ever had. It wasn't a gesture he had ever made on a regular basis in the past, but now it was one that he would need to do all the time. The results of that shrug were spectacular. He shot up into the air, his wings instinctively continuing to beat without even having to think about it at all. He rose so quickly that Blaine had difficulty in keeping up. Such was his level of concentration that Wes barely heard first Blaine and then Kurt shouting at him to stop. When he finally did, he was far higher than Kurt and Blaine had intended him to be. He almost panicked at the height, almost let his wings stop altogether, but somehow his body knew that that would be a very bad idea. His wings slowed to a gentle pace, and he was up, hovering, several hundred feet above the ground below.

He was alone up there at first, though he could hear both Kurt and Blaine shouting at him to hold on and not to move. The last time he had flown, that night in New York, it had been one of the most frightening things he had ever done. Now, up there on his own, it felt so right. He was flying. He was suspended in the sky on his own wings. He dared to look down, and could see the world laid out before him, everything looking so much smaller than it was. The adrenaline that was pumping through his veins made him feel so much higher than he had ever done before. Before he could stop himself, he let out a whoop, and was answered by the sound of his two friends laughing as they appeared at his side.

"So, no difficulty in launching then," said Kurt. "Just maybe slow the shrugs down after the first couple if you don't want to end up so high. So, that's the first stage - we got you up. Now, we just need to get you moving. Pretty much the same as hovering, but you have to face towards the ground…"

"From the vertical to the horizontal is easy," continued Blaine, "but you also need to learn how to steer with your feet, and to some extent arms. Straight lines are good, but you need to know how to turn a corner so that you can head back."

"So, best thing for us to do would be to descend just a little, and then we can try and move around," said Kurt, as Blaine nodded behind him. "So, going down. No head first dives, at least not today, although they are highly effective and necessary at times. No, this time we just allow our wings to stop, and you will start to drop. Gentle beats of your wings downwards to stop you falling too fast, like a stone, which trust me, is not good. I nearly gave Finn a heart attack on my first flight when I did that - though whether he was worried most about me, or what my mom would do to him if I got hurt is another question. So, after three, we stop." On the count, they stopped their wings, and started to drop. The slow wing beats kept them stable, and they continued to fall until Kurt called a halt.

They spent the rest of the morning in the sky. Wes quickly realised that the part of flying that involved movement across the sky was a heck of a lot like swimming, only without the overt use of your arms. It again seemed that all of those flying superheroes had been doing it all wrong. There was no need to hold your arms out in front of you to help you push through the air, but that didn't stop Wes from doing it with Blaine for a laugh, much to Kurt's chagrin - until he joined in too. The sound of happy laughter filled the air as they moved across the tiny patch of sky above McKinley. Wes imagined actually doing this in the real Lima, and quickly came to the conclusion that after the initial curiosity had died down, some hick would feel the need to take a pot-shot at them. Or maybe it would be Sue Sylvester, if she didn't know any better. It was a strange sensation after all those years of being bound by gravity and nature to the surface of the earth to actually be suspended in the sky with no mechanical aid. To feel the rush of the wind in your face as you crossed the sky was every bit as thrilling as he had imagined. The fact that he was in the company of two of his best friends; that one day he would be in a sky that was filled with a host of winged Warblers - it was still almost, but not quite, beyond his mortal comprehension. It was true, what both Kurt and Blaine had told him; all his worries and troubles had vanished as he flew with them. All he felt was a childish sense of joy and wonder. He didn't understand all the changes that had occurred to him on his arrival (Elizabeth had said something about his bones hollowing out, so that they became like those of a bird - light but strong), but he wouldn't turn the clock back for one moment at that point.

Had it not been for the fact that they were all getting hungry, they would probably have stayed in the sky for much longer. Getting down was not quite as simple as going up. They ended up swooping down slowly, nearing the ground and then moving back to a standing position, so they could land smartly on their two feet. Wes managed it more or less, with just a slight stumble as his feet hit the ground.

"Finn tells me Kurt didn't land so well his first time - he might have ended up sitting down with a thud," said Blaine, giving Kurt a 'don't you start on me - you started this with Nightbird' look as he spoke.

To his credit, Kurt just laughed, his face turning a little red. "It's true. I came back to earth with a bump, whereas Blaine managed to execute a flawless landing his first time. I'd say that a slight stumble on coming down is pretty good."

It was time then for food, but almost as soon as they sat down to eat a light lunch of sandwiches in the loft, all the pain that Wes had felt the day before came flooding back. He had innocently wondered how Thad would land on his first flight and that set him off. He managed to control his emotions after two or three minutes, and when he told the other two what he had been thinking of, they joined in with a conversation about what their other friends would be like. They all agreed that Nick and Jeff would probably lark about all the time after they had got a handle on flying for the first time; that Sam would probably insist on a full superhero flight costume - Kurt had visions of him in something made of lycra and spandex. Mike and Brittany, the natural dancers, would probably be the most graceful; their respective girlfriends maybe less so. Sebastian would probably be on the lookout for Dave all the time when they flew together. There was one thing that all three of them were in firm agreement on. They did not wish to see any of them join them for a very long time. They wanted all of their circle of friends to live for a very long time yet. Hopefully, fate would grant them that wish.

That afternoon saw Wes swap the hallowed halls of their own Dalton for those of the real one. He still had to travel with Kurt and Blaine, but this time he flew on his own wings, not carried between them, holding on tight. He found himself standing at the oh so familiar door of the Senior Commons. He could hear voices that he knew through the wood, the door itself slightly ajar. He took a breath and entered, and was confronted with a scene that brought back so many memories. Jasper and Brad stood to one side of the room, as Seth and Edward sat at the council table, with another boy that Wes seemed to remember was called Cameron. Behind them stood Colin, his arms folded, and seated elsewhere in the room were other Warblers, all of whom had been at the wedding. They were discussing - no, arguing - about what they should sing for the memorial. For a moment, Wes wondered who the memorial was for, and then he remembered…

It was one of the other boys, a young man by the name of Skylar, that spotted Wes first. He stopped speaking and froze, his eyes and mouth wide open. He stayed like that for at least a minute, none of the others even noticing, before he raised his arm and pointed towards the door where Wes was standing. All at once the room was filled with gasps and squeals as they realised that there was an angel present in the room. Jasper was the first to move - just to run out the door, leaving the other boys in the room in a state of shock.

"Oh, God! Wes, I'm sure that it is just the shock that made him…" said Brad. "It was all so sudden; we'd just seen you at the wedding on Saturday and you were so happy - we all were. And then on Monday, we found out that you had gone and left us all. It was just too horrible…"

"Well, there is one advantage to this visit," said Seth. All eyes turned to the council table, were Seth sat holding his own gavel. "Wes can tell us what he wants us to sing at his memorial, and we can all stop arguing!"

There was a moment of stunned silence - nobody could quite believe that he had actually said that. Then Wes burst out laughing; hearing that sound cut the tension in the room, and they all started to giggle, before bursting into full on laughter. It was to this scene that Jasper returned, and the reason for his departure was revealed. He had gone to fetch ex-Principal Carmichael from his office. Even though he was no longer the headmaster, the boys all fell silent and stood as he entered; even Wes stood still and gave him a nod. "I was hoping that you would appear here at some point, Wesley. This is after all a happy consequence of the arrangements that were made at the wedding on Saturday. Dalton may have lost the physical presence of one of our most illustrious former students, but we will still see you here from time to time, I hope, at least whilst there are still boys here that can see you; and whilst I still carry out duties here. Your death is one of the greatest tragedies to this school has suffered since…"

He stopped and Wes nodded, knowing exactly why his former headmaster had done so. He knew the whole sorry story of Jamie Carmichael, his only child, who had died from leukaemia at the age of 18, on the threshold of heading to college, having been the cream of Dalton's crop that year. Losing their son had nearly broken Aaron Carmichael and his wife. Only the fact that the boys of the day had rallied round them had stopped them both sinking into the depths of despair. He was also acutely aware of how hard his own death would have hit them both - he had often been told by them that they saw him as as close to a son as they now had. Now, they had lost a second son as a result. Wes resolved that he would try and find out what had happened to Jamie Carmichael; he had to be somewhere in heaven, and with Elizabeth's access to the records, it might be possible to find him. There was always the possibility that his soul had returned to earth; but if he hadn't, if he was now an angel like him, then he would try and bring him back to see his parents. He owed that much to the man before him.

Wes turned his attention back to Seth's question. He had never given much though to anything associated with death, at least until the deaths of Kurt and Blaine in rapid succession. He had witnessed two very different funerals - the traditional, formal style of Kurt's; and the joyful, celebration that was Blaine's. he had no option but to accept that his own funeral had been the bleak, cold version that his mother and family had wished for, but as for his memorial….

His thoughts were interrupted by Principal Carmichael. "I was actually planning, alongside Principal Lefevre, for you to have two memorials, Wes. One for everyone and then one for just those that were closest to you."

It was almost as if the older man could read his thoughts. "So, one formal one at which we all behave with the dignity and decorum that would be expected from Dalton on an occasion of this nature, followed by one that is every bit as joyful and unrestrained as Blaine's - I like it. As for the music, well I have left a list with Thad…" He stopped as he heard the gasps, and he realised that once again, people had not been expecting him to have known where his destiny lay that Sunday morning.

"I heard that you had known from Trent," said Jasper, "but I was hoping that it wasn't actually true. Did you know for a long time? Because if you did, I don't know how you could have lived with it…"

"I only worked it out on Friday night, so I didn't have too long to dwell on it. I'm glad that I did find out, because it gave me time to set out a few things that I wanted to do in a will. If there is time, then I would like that to be read out here on my memorial day. I don't want to give too much away, but it does mean that my parents and family get nothing from me - better people will. Now, I would like to hear some singing. It is after all what we Warblers are all about…"

So it was that the small group of assembled Warblers, after a quick discussion, sung to Wes. They chose to sing something that they had started working on at the end of last year, in preparation for this year's competition season. As the notes of _Yesterday_ by The Beatles began to be sung, Wes felt tears begin to form in his eyes. It was all too apt a choice for the circumstances that they all found themselves in. He noticed that he was not the only one with moist eyes as the boys sang; Principal Carmichael was openly in tears. Kurt and Blaine were now making themselves visible, Wes noted, and alongside them stood Finn. He noticed at the door now stood Principal Lefevre and Mrs Carmichael - they were both crying too. The latter managed a smile at Wes as she entered the room to go and comfort her husband. As the final note was sung, there was complete silence, until Colin, who had sung the lead as beautifully as always, burst into gulping sobs; Edward promptly darted over to him and pulled him into his arms. As the boys began to crumble in front of him, Wes fought the urge to just vanish as his heart broke at the sight. Instead, he began to applaud, just the sound of his own hands echoing through the room at first; then the other three angels joined in. It stopped the tears, and made the Warblers smile. "I would request that be one of the songs that is sung at my memorial," said Wes.

"Consider it done, Wes," said Principal Lefevre. She paused to savour the look of shock on the face of Wes, then turned to see similar looks on the faces of the other three angels. After all, she had not been at the Niff wedding… "I should come clean and tell you that I have been able to see angels since childhood. A close friend of mine died tragically when I was only seven, and she was the first one I saw. But of course, this is not the first time I have seen some of you. I caught a glimpse of Blaine in the Senior Commons earlier this year…"

"I was counting the panels. Kurt and I have recreated Dalton in heaven, and we were arguing over the number of panels above the fireplace…"

"And after that, I started to look out for more visits - I think that I saw Kurt at graduation this year?"

"Guilty as charged."

"So, I would just like to say that you are all more than welcome to come here at any time, and that includes you, Mr Hudson."

"Call me Finn, please. And it would be my pleasure."

Wes could only smile at the way that things were working out. He would always have a home here at Dalton. Always be welcome. And suddenly, he knew what he wanted more than anything. He did not want his ashes to gather dust on a shelf in Boston. He wanted them brought here.

* * *

Wes did not visit anyone else that day, save Thad and David. He was worried about them both, but for very different reasons. David seemed to be stuck in grief, a pain in his heart that even the tender administrations of Mercedes Jones could not ease. He had eaten nothing of substance since he had heard the news, which given the early hour at which he had been informed meant Sunday night. He slept for about 30 minutes at a time, if that. His face was raw from the virtually constant tears that he was shedding, his eyes bloodshot. No, Davis was in a bad way; so bad that Mercedes had gone behind his back and phoned Mrs Thompson - and she was now on her way to L.A.

In contrast, Thad was bright and breezy, smiling and on top of things. He was on the telephone almost constantly, issuing instructions or making arrangements for the memorial. He had even spoken to Wes's cousin Michelle, who had told him something that he needed to share with the others. This attitude was what was really concerning Wes. Had their positions been reversed; had Thad just died after a declaration of undying love, he would be distraught. Thad wasn't. he wasn't really coping at all, just putting on a really good act to make everyone think that he was ok. Wes was torn as he arrived in L.A. who to deal with first - in the end, he chose his best friend.

David was sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly out the window when Wes arrived. He could hear Thad on the phone in the next room; Mercedes was on her way to LAX to pick up the woman that might well be her mother-in-law one day. David had not even stirred as the draught from his wings filled the room. Wes sat down on the bed beside him, and closed his eyes. He knew what he had to say - he had to be cruel to be kind. "Davie, this needs to stop, and it needs to stop right now. I get it - you have lost your best friend and you have no idea what you should do. But you are an adult now. A man, not a boy. The other Warblers need you to be there to help them, because you aren't the only one that is totally devastated by my death. They are all trying so hard just to get on with their lives, as I want them to. They are all shattered; but they are doing it for me. But you - you are just sitting here, wallowing. You look awful, you smell bad, and I can hear your stomach growling. You can't join me yet - I know that and so do you. I am starting to feel just a little bit ashamed of you. Where is your pride? That famous Dalton spirit? Where is my best friend, David Thompson? You need to stop wallowing in self pity and get back to life! Because if you don't, if you carry on like this, I will stay away - and that is a promise, not a threat!"

David turned to look at his friend as he finished, a raw anger written across his face. "You think it is easy…" he hissed, "easy to just get over the death of your best friend, the guy you saw as a wise big brother for all of these years? I am broken, and lost, and in so much pain, Wes, and you know exactly why! You have it easy Wes! You are in heaven, you have wings, you have Kurt and Blaine to help you. Who do I have? Thad is obsessed with your memorial service, and he must feel ten times as bad as me. If you knew, why the hell didn't you tell me? Why did you lead Thad on?"

"You have Mercedes, Davie. She loves you so much and she wants to help you. You need to let her in; confide in her as you always did in me. You will be her husband one day, that I am certain of. So you have to trust her and have faith in her. She will get you like I did. As for me, well it won't be the same, but I am going nowhere. I will always be here for you."

"You can't be my groomsman though. You can't be godfather to my kids…"

"No, I can't be the latter, but I can be their guardian angel instead. As for the former, well if it is a small wedding, then maybe I can be. Nothing says that you can't have an angel for your best man Davie…and I would love to do it."

"I know that there is nothing to say that Wes, but you can't hold the ring for me; can't straighten my tie if it is crooked. And who is going to carry me home after my bachelor party? This is all so wrong, and I just can't handle it right now. I can't be there for the others, Wes, at least, not yet. But - yeah, Mercedes is here and she is so kind, so special… I will talk to her; she has tried to talk to me a few times since… but I wasn't very receptive…and yet, she is still here…"

"Because she loves you. Let her in, Davie. Show her all of David Thompson; give her the complete picture. She will understand."

David smiled at Wes - a wan smile. He knew that he was right, in his heart. He had to try and get back to his old self. It was then that there came a knock at the bedroom door. Wes stood behind it as it opened to reveal Mrs Thompson. David's lip trembled as his mother walked into the room, saying nothing. Then she sat on the bed beside him, wrapped her arm around him and pulled him in close. Suddenly, David felt as if he was ten years old again, and he had just fallen of his bike and scraped his knees. He flung himself against her, and started to sob again. Wes could only watch as his best friend sobbed in the arms of his mother, a woman that he too felt so much for. Hopefully, with her help and that of Mercedes, David would, given time, heal.

He left David with his mother, and went in search of Thad. He found him deep in conversation with Kurt and Blaine - well, he was talking and they were trying to get a word in. He was talking about what kind of flowers they should have in the auditorium at Dalton for the memorial. "He has been going on about this ever since we got here, Wes," Kurt whispered.

"Yeah, David did say that he was obsessed by it," said Wes. He walked over and stood next to Blaine, whose eyes had glazed over. "Thaddie, I can settle this for you. I don't want any flowers. It always seemed such a shame to me to kill a flower - and that is basically what you do - to commemorate a death. Also, my mother had so many cut flowers in the house that it made me sneeze all spring and summer - and well into the autumn. So none…"

Thad nodded, but Wes could sense that he was not happy. "I did think about lilies, Wes. They are traditional; but I didn't want to be too staid either. But ok, if that is what you want, no flowers…"

'So I can expect lilies, and probably white ones,' thought Wes, 'because he is just going to ignore me.' He sighed inwardly, then spoke again.

"Mrs Thompson is here, Thad. She will help you to take care of David, but I think that you should let her take care of you too. You can't be superman. When I was Head Warbler, I delegated half of the stuff that I needed to do to someone else - usually you or David when we were the council. I know that you just want it all to be perfect, but so will everyone else. Let Principal Carmichael and his wife help. They are on the spot. You need to look out for David for starters. He needs you, because you get it. Everyone said that Wevid was the greatest bromance at Dalton after all, even you…"

"You two were always so close. I used to be so jealous of it, at least at first. Then I realised that it was only ever going to be platonic between the two of you; whereas I might have a slight chance…"

"If it hadn't been for life and fate, then it would have been so much more than a chance, my Thaddie. I know now that if I had been your boyfriend, I would have been a very, very lucky man. As my husband, the two of us would have been a formidable team…"

"Our kids would have been so lucky," said Thad in a tiny voice. He was looking at the floor and Wes knew that was because he was trying not to cry in front of him again. Wes knew that feeling - he was on the point of tears too, as he saw his and Thad's children in his minds eye. He knew who he would have chosen for at least one of their surrogates - his cousin Michelle. It could all have been so perfect… The two of them stayed like that for a while, until Thad announced that he should go and say hello to Mrs Thompson. Wes nodded in agreement, and knew that it was time to head home. He was feeling so tired again, and this time not from physical exertion, but from sheer emotion.


	45. Coming Together

**Coming Together**

By Thursday, the death of Wes felt less raw to the majority of the Warblers. Trent headed to college with no problems in concentrating on the work in hand. He was still so achingly sad, but he knew that as with Kurt and Blaine the year before, he would change nothing if he stayed miserable. So he and Rory had gone to the cinema on Wednesday night to see a new comedy, and he had found himself laughing; he had not felt guilty about it for a moment. In New York, Nick and Jeff had spent Wednesday night at the Spotlight Diner - Jeff officially working and Nick just helping out. The two of them sang out loud all night - it was Santana that was more subdued. She had admired and respect Wes, although she would never have admitted it to him, and his death just felt so wrong. In another part of the city, Cooper had again been called to appear on stage, and he had obtained tickets for Sebastian and Dave - the former had initially refused point blank to go, and had only agreed after Dave had begged. He ended up loving every minute of it, belting out the tunes as they walked home. In Princeton, Flint started on his reading; Beats went off to his new job at a Dairy Queen. He arrived home late, and disturbed Flint, who drowsily saw him heading into the bathroom. He was sure that he saw glitter, but he was half asleep…

David was a different story. He had left his bedroom at least that morning, which was a big improvement on the last few days. Then again, he was more than a little afraid of his mother's reaction if he chose to continue sitting in bed all day. It did feel good to have a long shower; to be able to get up and get himself another cup of coffee. His heart was still aching, and it still felt as if he would never fully recover from his loss, but he had to try, for Wes, if not for himself. And for Mercedes, the beautiful woman that got exactly what he was feeling. He owed her so much just now… Thad was a different matter yet again. He was still obsessing over the memorial arrangements, but he saw now that that was his way of coping. As a result, David secretly dreaded what would happen afterwards. He hadn't just lost his friend after all - in many ways, he had lost his whole future. Yes, he would cope, slowly and in his own time; that was why his letter from Wes remained unopened at his bedside. That was a whole new ball game, which he just couldn't face, at least, not yet…

As for Thad, well he had been up from early on as his brain was just too busy. He was now debating internally whether he should ask the others to attend the memorial in full uniform, or in black suits as they had done for Kurt and Blaine. He did actually favour uniform himself, as it would help them blend in with the current generation of Warblers. Then again, would Mr Bangy sit comfortably in his breast pocket? Had Wes had his uniform altered so that the gavel could sit in his? Or should they just settle for the school tie, worn with their own suits? He was debating this when David emerged from his room, and placed a hand on his shoulder, albeit briefly, as he passed. He knew that Mrs Thompson had promised them waffles. 'No doubt that she will have made me some, and I am hungry,' thought Thad. He let himself move on from his internal debate to his daily check of Google for mentions of the accident, and that was when he spotted an article in the Harvard Crimson, the student newspaper. It had printed an obituary for Wes the day before, and it had been spot on. Now it announced that a vigil would be held at the spot where the accident had occurred, a week to the day after his death, at the exact time it happened. It had been organised jointly by the Harvard Glee Club and the Hasty Pudding Club, united in loss. Thad knew at once that he wanted to be there - and he was sure that he would not be the only one that would want to go.

Thad forwarded a link to the article to all his fellow Warblers in an E-mail, just as he had done the day before with the obituary. The message that he sent with it was both short and sweet - that he was going to be there, and he would be grateful for some company, if they felt up to it. He had a response from Nick in less than two minutes, saying that he and Jeff would be there, no question - and would Thad like to come with them from New York, rather than flying all the way to Boston direct? He pondered on that as other replies came popping in to his inbox, all of them saying that they would attend - Trent, Beats and Flint, Sebastian, Ethan and Drew. He had more or less decided when another E-mail arrived from Nick. Mike wanted to come with them, if that was ok with Thad and the guys. That settled it for him. He replied to Nick that Mike would be more than welcome to join them, and that going as a group from New York would be a very good idea - to that end, he would fly across the following day. He asked Nick to pass this information onto the others, and once he had found out how many of them wished to join the party, to book the necessary transport on their behalf. He delegated the task to Nick because he had a very difficult conversation coming up with David.

He knew that David would say no before he even opened his mouth. His friend was out of bed, which was great progress, but his eyes were still bloodshot, with dark circles around them. He still had that haunted look on his face, and he was distant; back in a time when his best friend figured so strongly in his future, not just in his past. Thad had printed out the two articles and handed them to David in silence. He sat by his side as he read them, his hand on his knee just to let him know that he was there if he was needed. He could hear Mrs Thompson and Mercedes in the kitchen, talking in quiet tones.

"They did him justice," said David, startling Thad. "I couldn't have written anything better myself. You are going to go on Sunday, aren't you? I know that I should, but….it's still too soon for me. I need to be strong enough to go to Dalton next week. But you have to go, if you want to. I'll be fine with Mom and Mercedes here to look out for me. I guess everyone else will be going too, if you've told them. Tell them…"

"They'll understand. This was always going to knock you for six. I'd known Wes for six years, but you had known him for far longer…"

"He was like a big brother to me in so, so many ways. He was just always there when I needed him to be. I don't think that it will ever stop hurting, Thad. I will never be able to forget him."

"That makes two of us, at least. He was so special to so many people. I want you to know that I will stay with you for as long as you want me to. Between us, we will make sure that he is never forgotten."

In New York, meanwhile, Nick was grappling with a difficult problem. He had sent the message that Thad had asked him too, and only Ethan and Drew had declined the offer to travel as a group; it would be easier for them just to hire a car and drive it one way to Boston from Ohio. Mike had been more than happy with Thad's reply too, and then had asked if Nick thought anyone would object if Sam came too? As Nick was pretty certain that Rory and Dave would be travelling with them too, he seriously doubted it. That would make a party of eleven, as he assumed without even checking that David would not be coming. He started looking for flights first thing on Sunday morning, and had just found one when Mike returned with the news that Sam was up for coming, but so was Santana - in fact, she was adamant that she was joining them regardless. Nick shook his head, and smiled. He had always suspected that she had a soft spot for Wes, so it was no surprise. So a party of twelve - and on the flight he had just found, the only one that worked on the day, only three seats available. Nor were there enough seats for all of them to travel together on any flight on Saturday. The prices were also pretty steep, given that they would all be split up. The bus was cheaper, and available, but took so long - and the first one arrived too late.

That was when he realised that there was one other option. He checked, and it had a reasonable price, and had the space to accommodate them all as a group. The problem was, how would Thad react when Nick told him that the only way to travel as a group was to take the same train that Wes had taken a week earlier…

There had been a bit of Thad, as it turned out, that had been expecting the news when Nick told him. It was still a massive shock to the system, and he could hear the hesitation in Nick's voice as he said that short of driving themselves, there really was no other practical option for them. He took a deep breath, and asked Nick to book the train. After he rang off, he announced to the Mrs Thompson that he had to pop out, and went to sit on the park bench overlooking the ocean once again. The park was quiet, and nobody was watching as he burst into tears. He had been dreading even going back to New York, because of all of his memories of his time with Wes there. Going to Penn Station itself would be hell and if the train left from the same track as it had that night….

He had to be strong. Had to stay calm and not let it get to him. He had to act as normally as possible, even if he was falling apart on the inside. He owed it to Wes, whose beloved gavel was nestling even now in his pocket. He could do this. He was following in his footsteps, that was all. He could see all the things that the man that he loved had seen in the last few hours of his life - live out the same experiences. He would also have the others to keep him company and distract him. He swiped at his eyes, pushing his tears away. He had to keep strong - all of his future plans depended on him doing that.

* * *

By the time that Friday dawned, everything was arranged. Trent and Rory would be on the 18.05 train from Washington DC; they had chosen that one as it was one of the few Amtrak trains that stopped at Princeton Junction, where Beats and Flint would join them for the journey to New York. All four would be staying at the loft, but this time there would be no visit to their usual club. Instead, they would all be sitting quietly in Nick and Jeff's home, making plans and discussing ideas for the memorials. They would just enjoy each others company; reminisce about the good times.

Lying in bed next to his husband that morning, Jeff had come to a decision about something. The idea had popped into his head the night before, as he had been drying himself off after their usual shared bath. He had seen his name written across Nick's heart for the first time since the day they had had the tattoos done. Up until that point, it had of course been under a bandage as the skin healed, just as his own tattoo of Nick's name had been. It had been put there out of love for his husband; a permanent marker of what they meant to each other. And it had hit him. What better way of showing how much Wes meant to him than to have something else tattooed on his body. One word. Starling.

He took the plunge as they sat at breakfast. "I want to get another tattoo, Nicky. For a kind of memorial to Wes. My bird name."

Nick had paused halfway through munching a piece of toast, and looked to be deep in thought. "So, whereabouts were you thinking of getting it done?"

"I…I don't really know, Nicky. I just think that it would be nice to have a permanent personal memorial to him, after all that he was done for us; all that he has meant to us."

"And if I say no?"

"I will respect your decision. I might not like it, but I will respect it."

"Top of your left arm…"

"Pardon?"

"Get it done at the top of your left arm; close to your heart, but not right above it."

"So I can do it? You don't mind, or think that I am stupid?"

"Nope. The more that I think about it, the more perfect it actually seems…"

Jeff smiled, and leant over the table to kiss him. "Thanks, Nicky. I will make an appointment for today at the same place as before."

"You'd better make two." Jeff looked at Nick quizzically. "Well, if you are getting Starling, then I will be getting Dove, won't I?" Jeff's smile grew all the wider at that. As he made the call, he thought once again just how lucky he was to have Nick in his life. Marriage was the best thing ever.

So it was that for the second time in a week, Nick and Jeff found themselves sitting side by side in a tattoo parlour, the chairs arranged so that they faced each other. They chose this time to have the words in their own handwriting, which of course made things far more difficult - they couldn't write on their own shoulders after all. It was an easier process for both of them this time, although Nick got off far more lightly with only four letters to have marked compared to Jeff's eight. As a result, Nick was able to sit and hold Jeff's right hand as his tattoo was finished. It gave Nick time too to ponder just how much his life had changed in the space of two short years. If you had asked him then, at the start of his Senior year at Dalton, whether he would ever consider getting a tattoo, his answer would have been a definite no. But then Hunter had marked him in a far more painful way - his skin was no longer flawless as a result, and so he had less of an issue now with marking it. He still dreaded the day that his mother found out that he had got a second tattoo - her reaction on Sunday to his first had been difficult to say the least. Then again, since she had left his father, she had mellowed, and according to his grandmother, was more like the girl she once was before she had met him. His grandfather had made no comment - he had been in the navy after all, and he was rumoured to have a tattoo himself, not that Nick had ever seen it. The idea was no longer as alien to him as it once would have been. Then again, the Nick Duval of two years ago would never have imagined himself living in a loft in Bushwick with Jeff as his husband; nor would he have dreamed that he would have been to the funeral of three friends from his own generation, with a memorial service for a fourth ahead. Would he go back to the innocent time before Hunter came into his life? Only if he got to keep his Jeff…

That evening, Thad was the first to arrive at the loft. His flight had been early in arriving at the airport and he had been lucky with his transport from there. He was no sooner through the front door than Jeff had him pulled into a tight hug, which he quickly reciprocated. Nick stood back and allowed him to actually get through the door, and take his bag through to the extra bed in Mike's room. It was then that Nick hugged him, albeit briefly. He knew that Thad was still in mourning, despite the way that he was acting. He just needed him to know that he was there for him. He was back in the living room, talking about the wedding when Mike returned from seeing Tina off en route back to Brown. He placed a hand on Thad's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze; Thad placed his own hand on top of Mike's. He went to retreat into the bedroom, but Thad stopped him. "You were as much his friend as the rest of us - we'd like you to stay."

By the time that Sebastian and Dave walked through the door - ironically the last to arrive, despite having the least distance to travel - there was an interesting meal on the table. Jeff had insisted on having pizza; Nick had roasted a chicken; Mike had prepared a stir fry; and Beats and Flint were grilling burgers. Rory had brought a batch of homemade potato scones, and finally, at Jeff's pleading, Nick had been coerced into preparing a Treacle Tart, which was baking in the oven. There was enough of everything that they could all share. After the savoury, Nick produced the Treacle Tart. It was devoured in seconds, much like the Chocolate Cake that Sebastian had brought. As they all sat and ate, they all forgot for a while why they were actually gathered there in the one place. Watching them quietly, and choosing to remain invisible, was Wes, with Kurt and Blaine at his side. This was what he had wanted for them all. They were all reasonably cheerful, finding strength in each others company. He knew that the illusion would soon pass; that it would all go down hill once more once the food was gone; plus he had seen that Thad had brought the relevant envelopes with him. He knew that he would have to return eventually, but in the meantime, he left and went to the other side of the country to see David.


	46. Notes and Tattoos

**Notes and Tattoos**

As Wes had predicted, once the last crumbs of cake and tart had been consumed, the mood in the room did begin to sink. The small talk died down as they all began to recall the last time they had all gathered in the one place - less than a week ago, but it seemed like a lifetime. Everything had changed since then, and not for the better. They all helped with the washing up, and once this was done, Thad asked them all to assemble on the sofa and chairs in the living room. There wasn't quite enough furniture, so in the end, Thad brought through one of Nick's new chairs from the dining area. The others were sitting facing each other across the coffee table, and Thad positioned his chair at the head of the room. It was almost like being back at Dalton. The only thing missing was the actual council table. The others waited with baited breath as Thad dug into his messenger bag and brought out a pile of envelopes.

"Gentlemen, we are gathered here today united in our collective grief for the Head Warbler, Wes Montgomery. As you are all now aware, Wes knew that he was going to die; he worked it out from the behaviour of our mutual angelic friend Blaine and a remark made by Finn Hudson to Sam Evans. In the early hours of Nick and Jeff's wedding day, Wes sat up and wrote. He firstly and most importantly wrote a Will, the contents of which will be divulged at the memorial at Dalton next week. But then he sat and wrote a series of short notes; one for each and every one of you. He sent them all to me, and I think that it is only fair that I start to distribute them now. I will start with two from a bundle of five which he attached a special note to me on. They are for Dave Karofsky and Mike Chang. I think that Dave already knows what is contained in his note, but Mike doesn't. So, Wes decided that he should be given the right to do something in death. He chose to create some new honorary Warblers, five in total. So, as you might have guessed, we have two of them in the room. Dave, Mike, your Warbler pins are in the envelope. I don't think any of us will dissent from Wes' decision, so what about a round of applause for our two newest members?"

As the other seven boys in the room clapped, Thad handed out the envelopes, first to Dave and Mike, and then to the others, each labelled in the neat handwriting of Wes. Each contained a short personal message, beginning with their bird name. Mike, sat on the arm of the sofa just clutched his in shock. Nick, sitting next to him had opened his at once; the message was short, but meant so much to him.

 _Dove, you and your soulmate have found your own heaven on earth. You are his strength, but he is yours too. I will always be so proud of your bravery, your loyalty and your selflessness. Use your skill in the law to make the world the better, more tolerant place that we all desire. I wish you, Nick, and Jeff, every happiness, and thank you for letting me share your home in New York for the last months of my life. Wes._

Nick glanced quickly at Jeff, who was sitting next to him and quietly laughing - seeing Nick's eyes on him, he held out his note to reveal a drawing of a little stick man at an easel, with another little stick man at his side. His message read:-

 _Starling, I am so pleased to see you so happy and finally at peace. You and Nick will grow together in love and harmony for the rest of your lives. I am so privileged to have played a small part in creating Niff; and also to have helped you with your art! I give you permission to show the world my individual life drawing - I demand exposure! As you can see, I am no artist. That talent is yours, and I am sure you will use it to succeed. Be happy Jeff! Wes._

Nick now turned his attention to Mike, still frozen in place, envelope unopened, and tears glistening in his eyes. Nick looked at him, then indicated the envelope. Mike nodded and handed his envelope to Nick, who opened it. He took out the pin badge, and carefully pinned it onto the breast pocket of Mike's shirt, as Wes had done for him on the day he officially became a Warbler. Mike seemed ever closer to tears, but he kept his composure. Nick slid the note out of the envelope, and gave it, unopened, to Mike. He held it for a moment, took a breath, and then slowly opened it.

 _Congratulations on becoming a Warbler, Mike - or Swan, as I will now call you. Why Swan? It is the most graceful of all birds - it dances on the water, seemingly effortlessly; but beneath the surface, it works so hard. Ok, so there is also the whole_ Swan Lake _thing… I know how hard you have to work to achieve the perfection that you do. Be strong, my friend; be happy; revel in all that you love. You deserve your place in the ranks of the Warblers. So please, join my flock - they will protect you as you protect them. I will miss you, my friend - and give Tina my love, Wes._

Across the room, Sebastian was smiling proudly at Dave, also now wearing a Warbler pin. His note had been the shortest of them all, but it was to the point and straight from the heart.

 _Anyone that can tame Sebastian deserves to be a Warbler. Dave, your bird name is now officially Condor. I hope that someday you can be persuaded to sing with my boys - Kurt says you have a good voice. Stay on the path you are on, and congratulations._

Dave knew that Wes was fully aware of his entire back story - he had gone from being a hated pariah to being a close and trusted ally - he had no intention of turning back now. As for Sebastian, his note had read:-

 _Cardinal, you are the most changed of all my flock. You went off into the dark, but returned into the light. You fought against the evils of Hunter by playing him at his own game. You also became like me to so many - you have a flock of your own. Seth, Colin and Edward will all look to you for guidance as you all looked to me. Quite a change from being a Parisian Whore. Stay sassy, Meerkat - and don't wait too long to marry Dave!_

Sebastian's first reaction on reading the note had been shock, but then he realised that Wes was right. Those three boys did call him up on a regular basis to ask things - them and half the other younger boys that had suffered under the excesses of a madman. He really was their Wes. He just hoped that he could be half the man that Wes had been.

The notes for the other four in the room were similar. All of them had been addressed to their bird name. Wes then mentioned something that they showed that he admired, and gave them a bit of advice for the future, ranging from a secret Montgomery family cake recipe that Trent adored in Rory's note ( _He will literally do anything for a slice of this cake. Ask Niff!)_ to a suggestion on how best to remove glitter for Beats, who was horrified that somehow, Wes knew…and he had a good idea which angel might have let slip. As for Thad, his personal letter, like David's, remained sealed. He was still not ready to read it. He knew that one day he would have to, but that was for later, in the privacy of a quiet room. He had a feeling that the words written inside that envelope would leave him feeling even more bereft than he already did. He could only keep going on if he kept covering over the worst of his heart break. He could not fall apart, not yet, if ever…

The notes all opened, talked turned to the arrangements for Sunday. The moment that Nick said the words overnight train, a deep silence filled the room. "The same one that Wes caught a week ago?" said Trent, his voice showing that he was ever so slightly incredulous at the crass nature of the very notion.

"It was the only way that we could travel together," said Thad, before any arguments could begin. "Believe me when I tell you that Nick checked every other option going, and short of hiring a private jet, this was the only one that worked. The way I see it, going on that train will be a tribute to him. We will be following his path a week on, at least as far as the station at Harvard Square."

There was a moment of suspense, and then Trent whispered, "That's true, I suppose. I guess that on the way back, Rory and I can just stay on the same train all the way home to Washington."

"We can do the same to get as close as we can to Princeton," said Flint, as Beats nodded in agreement.

Jeff meanwhile was looking into Nick's eyes - and then he spoke. "I think that we should tell them Nicky. After all, we did it as a tribute of our own to Wes, so we should share it."

"I really think that if you were going to ask me what I thought, Jeffie, then you should possibly have said that to me in private. We really don't have any option but to tell them now."

"Yeah, I guess…but I want them all to know, because I am not ashamed."

Nick turned to look at the others as Jeff finished, to see that every single eye in the room was on them, and they were all looking wildly curious.

"Go on then, Nick. Spill. What have you two gone and done?" said Thad.

Jeff looked at Nick, who shrugged, and began to unbutton his shirt; Jeff carefully began to pull his own T-shirt off over his head. There were a couple of gasps as the two of them sat side by side, shirtless, which allowed everyone to see the names tattooed across their hearts. Everyone knew that they had done it, but this was the first time that they had actually seen them. Thad got up from his chair first and went over to take a closer look. He had no idea whether Wes would have approved of them, but he had to admit that they looked beautiful - and the fact that the names appeared to be handwritten made them perfect. It was then that he noticed that both boys had a dressing over the top of their left arm. "Firstly, I have to say that I actually like your tattoos. I doubt that certain people that are close to Dalton will ever like the idea of the Warblers having them, but they don't matter. What interests me more right now is what is going on with the matching bandages?"

"It was my idea," said Jeff. "We both went out this morning and got another tattoo, this time in tribute to Wes. They need time to properly heal, but if we are very careful, we can peel back the dressings and show you all what they say…" Nick was already carefully lifting the strips of tape on one side of his dressing so that he could lift it up. The others gathered around as he lifted it up to reveal one word of four letters…

There was a moment of shocked silence as Jeff lifted the dressing on his shoulder to reveal the longer word written there. Trent was the first to speak, Thad having walked away to sit down, his head bent, to try and hide the tears that were starting to form in his eyes.

"I have to say that as tributes go, it is not what I would ever have expected from the two of you - but I like it. It is permanent and heartfelt. You were always Dove and Starling to him… I don't know if he would approve, but I like them." At his side, Beats and Flint nodded.

"Where did you get them done?" said Sebastian.

"The same place as these. We knew that they were good; they were recommended by Elliot," said Nick.

"Can you make me an appointment for tomorrow?" Everyone in the room spun round to face Thad, some with a shocked look on their faces. "I want my bird name on my shoulder too - if you two don't mind me copying your tribute." 'And whilst I'm there, I'll get them to tattoo Wes across my heart,' he thought.

"We don't mind at all Thad," said Jeff, who instinctively knew that Thad would need a double appointment.

"In that case, get me a slot too," said Beats. "I can't think of anything else that we could do for Wes that would be so personal and so long lasting."

"And me," said Trent, who got even more shocked glances than Thad. "I loved Wes as much as all of you, and I want everyone in the world to know that I was his Robin."

"And I'm Linnet," said Rory, putting his arm around Trent. "Count me in."

"I never thought that I would live to see the day that Sebastian would be in a minority," said Flint, "but yeah, I'm in too. My folks will go ape, but I don't care. It is for Wes, so all the hassle will be worth it."

"So 'Bastian, are we going to the tattooist tomorrow?" said Dave. "I'm up for it if you are…"

"Well, I'd nothing else planned…" said Sebastian nonchalantly, earning him a laugh from the rest of the room.

Whilst the others had been discussing it, Mike had got up from his spot and retreated into the kitchen to call Tina - to give her his good news and ask if she would mind. She had been so excited for him; pleased and proud that Wes had chosen him for such an honour. And although his request had shocked her, when he explained it to her, she got it. So it was that he could return to the room and say out loud "I take it that it will be alright for me as an honorary Warbler to come with you all, because I have checked with Tina, and she says it is ok…."

"The more the merrier, Mike," said Thad. "We should ask Sam, and I had better let all the other Warblers know about this too…"

Later that night on the other side of the country, David was sitting quietly with Mercedes, having just had his favourite dinner made for him by his mother. Wes had visited for a couple of hours before that, and they had talked - really talked. He would never be able to get completely over the loss of his best friend from the earthly realm, but he still had him to talk to; to laugh with. He had been right when he had said that Mercedes would understand when he told her some of his hidden secrets. He had told her the most important one, and she had responded by revealing a couple of things that she kept quiet about. It felt good that they were able to confide in each other, but that was how it should be in a relationship if it was to work. Now they sat watching one of the talk shows side by side.

His phone rang at that point - it was Thad, who wanted to tell him all about what had happened that night. He started off by revealing what Wes had done for Mike and Dave - even though he had known since the day the envelopes arrived, he had not revealed the truth to David, so lost was the other man in his grief. David could not disagree with the choices that had been made. Then he had described in some detail the tattoos that Nick and Jeff had got on the day after the wedding. David wasn't exactly sure where he stood on the topic - it was not something that he had ever getting done to himself. Thad's description of Niff's did make them sound so meaningful and special. Then he was informed that they had returned that day and got another one each; their bird names, in tribute to Wes. Before David could process that, Thad announced that the rest of them would be heading to the tattoo parlour the next day to have their own bird names tattooed. That statement left David slightly flabbergasted to say the least. He wasn't sure what Wes would make of the whole idea. Dalton after all was not the kind of school were tattoos were common or approved. But he had to admit, Thad's words had given him some food for thought.

The next day, the group in New York made their way to the tattooist's and one by one, took a seat and allowed the work to be done. It was a relatively short process for Trent with the five letters of Robin, but for Beats and Flint, the names Woodpecker and Meadowlark respectively were far more painful to have done. Then again, as Thad watched the word Greenfinch slowly emerge on his own shoulder, he could only sympathise with the pained expressions on their faces. Sam had indeed joined them, but only after a long conversation with Rachel. Ethan and Drew had also agreed to get their names done, but they would not be doing so whilst they were still in Ohio - the plan was that they would come back to New York after the vigil in Boston, and they would head here on Monday morning. Jasper and Brad however were planning a trip to Columbus, where they had found a shop that was highly recommended, on Sunday. They had not been able to join the others due to family commitments, so saw having the tattoos done on the day in question as their own way of remembering. That way, all of the tattoos would be healed enough to be visible on the day of the memorials.

In heaven, Blaine had discovered their plans the night before quite by chance, and had confided in Kurt. They had decided that it was probably best to keep Wes in the dark for now. They had talked about what they were doing, and Blaine had admitted that there was nothing he would like more than to get Nightingale tattooed on his shoulder as his own tribute. They decided that they would speak to Elizabeth about the protocol on such things in the morning. What neither of them noticed was that Wes was right behind them as they talked, and looked deep in thought…

That afternoon, as the bulk of his friends tried to get some sleep prior to their train journey that night, David left his apartment for the first time since he had heard about the death of Wes. Mercedes was at his side as they travelled to downtown L.A., and entered a tattoo parlour that a contact of Mercedes in the music business had suggested. Mercedes had, like David, never even considered her own opinion on body art prior to the previous night, and although she could never see herself getting any kind of tattoo, she found that she could accept one on David, as long as it wasn't too big. She sat by his side, holding his hand, as the word Bluebird was written across his left shoulder. He wasn't quite sure what his mother would make of the whole thing when she found out - and he couldn't hope to hide it from her, not when they were living under the same roof. As he was shown the completed tattoo before the dressing was applied, however, David felt an enormous sense of clam and peace wash over him. He knew that getting the tattoo had been exactly the right decision to make.


	47. In the Footsteps of Wes

**In the Footsteps of Wes**

When the time finally came for the New York contingent to head to Penn Station for the train to Boston, they did so as early as they possibly could. They had all taken the opportunity for a nap earlier, but it still felt odd to be getting up at a time that they would normally be considering heading to bed. There was one exception to this rule and that was Sam - he had been scheduled to work the late shift at the diner, and he had done so, arranging that he would meet the others at the station. They took great care to enter the station by a different door to that used by Wes and Thad the week before. They knew that in all likelihood the train would be waiting for them on the same track as it had been a week ago, but they would try if possible to enter by a different staircase. At least, that had been their plan. Unbeknownst to them, Thad had elected to enter via the exact same stair. He even paused for a moment by the alcove in which he and Wes had kissed, pretending to be checking for something in his pockets. It felt so odd to be back there - not sad, but strange. And even that feeling passed as they walked down to where the train sat patiently waiting for them. He wondered what would have happened if he had thrown all caution to the wind the week before and had bought that last minute ticket, and gone with Wes to Boston. 'Nothing different,' he thought. 'I just would have had longer with him.' He dismissed such thoughts as they boarded the train - by a process of elimination, he found himself sitting next to the only other person not travelling with a partner or close friend - Santana. As the whistle was blown, and the train began to slowly pull out of the station, the others began to doze off, one by one. Thad couldn't - and neither it seemed, could his neighbour.

"Ok, Harwood," she said quietly, as all the others slept, "how are you? And I mean really - this lot might all be falling for your whole 'I'm ok' act, but I don't. He was your soulmate, the love of your life - don't dare try to deny it - and I know what losing his soulmate did to Blaine. I know how I would feel if anything like this happened to Brittany. So, how are you?"

"Honestly? It still feels like a dream - not real. I mean, David was always the strongest of the two of us, and now he is a complete mess. I've just witnessed nearly all of the Warblers getting tattoos - even Trent. In fact, he was the second up! It can't be real, but it is… He knew, and that makes it worse. He knew that night when he kissed me that we would never do it again, at least not on earth. There is a tiny bit of me that still can't help but think he only kissed me to leave me happy. I am holding it together because there is so much to do, but when that runs out…"

"When it runs out, you will have to let it all out, and that is what scares you. Look, if you need to go and sit somewhere and cry your eyes out for a few days, then do it. You thought that the two of you where going to be forever. You still will be, but not yet. You didn't even get a chance to be together alone, apart from that week in June when he was smuggling you in and out - oh, don't look at me like that. I knew because I heard the two of you giggling away at something one night when I came home from the diner. We all liked Wes, but you loved him, and he loved you. He spent his last night on earth with you, and he did not give a damn who saw; who knew that he cared so much for you. There is one thing you need to know - I, and everyone else here care for you just as much. If you ever need someone, for anything, you can call me, anytime, day or night."

Thad smiled warmly at her words. She had always scared him slightly - he recalled how she had been in the aftermath of the whole slushie incident, and he could have sworn that he had seen the glint of razor blades in her hair more than once. He had come to see though that those people that she cared for - well, she really cared for them. Someone else had known that too, so he decided that now was the perfect time to give her a bit of a shock. He dug into his messenger bag, and pulled out an envelope. "This is for you, from Wes. He wrote it the night before the wedding. I was going to wait until we got back to New York tomorrow to hand you this, but I suddenly thought that actually, now is a perfect time. You see, I do know something of what is in this envelope. You wanted to come with us because you had a great deal of respect for Wes - you liked his style. Well, he felt the same about you. But the note will say it better than I ever could, and will show you just how much respect he had for you. You see, you will be the first - after all, up until now, even the honorary Warblers have all been male…"

Santana looked at Thad for a second, then snatched the envelope out of his hand, and proceeded to tear it open. Sure enough, there was a Warbler pin enclosed. She had thought that Thad had been mistaken, but there it was - the physical evidence of what he had said sitting in her hand. She carefully put it back in the envelope before removing the note. With hands that were trembling slightly, she unfolded it and read:-

 _My dear Santana - aka Satan,_

 _I bet that this will come as a shock - well, I hope that it does. So, why have I chosen you to be the first ever woman to be invited to join the Warblers, albeit in an honorary capacity? Firstly, because you have more strength, courage and guts than most of us put together. Because you embody the values that we hold dear - loyalty, honesty and compassion. (Ok, so the latter one applies most of the time.)_

 _You came to my attention first when you made it safe for Kurt to return to McKinley, and again when you stood up to Sebastian over the slushie. I remember thinking at the time - she is a bitch, but if you have her in your corner, she will protect you with her life. But the best thing about you is that you have a capacity to forgive, and you don't hold grudges. I never imagined you and the Meerkat together, but I think that the two of you will rule NYADA as friends. I admire you - you lead, but you don't dominate, unlike a certain Fanny Brice… Thank you for taking care of my boys, from Kurt and Blaine through to Niff now._

 _So, when are you going to marry her? Because I want an invite to the wedding. Don't leave it too long! Be good, be happy and triumph! Just try and avoid cutting yourself on those razor blades in your hair. Oh, and one more thing - never change,_

 _Wes._

 _P.S. I want to give you a bird name, and I am thinking of another strong woman with a powerful voice as I choose this. So, I name you Sparrow, after the one and only Edith Piaf. One day, I am sure, your voice will be as legendary as hers._

As she finished reading, she refused to allow herself to cry, not here, even if Thad was her only witness. If she could stay dry eyed in the face of such great loss, then so could she. So she sniffed, folded the note up, and placed it in her coat pocket. She then retrieved the badge, and held it out to Thad, who took it, smiled, and carefully pinned it on the lapel of her coat. "Welcome to the Warblers, Satan," he said with a grin. "I don't know how the others will react, but I think that as Wes has done this, they will accept it without question. Personally, I think that it is about time - but I am also sure that you will be the only female Warbler, honorary or not, for a long time. I guess that when David gets married, we might add Mercedes…"

"Less of the Satan, Harwood. I am Sparrow now, and don't forget it. Oh, and remind them all that I have razor blades in my hair, and I am not afraid to use them…"

Thad chuckled, and then yawned. Outside, the train was slowing down as it entered New Haven station - it was still some time before the train would reach Boston. "I suppose that we should really try and catch some sleep, so we don't stand and yawn our heads off at the vigil." Santana nodded, and wasn't surprised at all when a drowsy Thad leaned his head against her shoulder. It was more than ok - they were her boys now, all of them. She had to admit, as she felt her own eyes closing, that she liked the notion of that a lot.

As the train closed in on Boston, the others started to wake up. Jeff woke up first to find Nick curled into him, all warm and snuggly. He glanced around to the row behind him - and stared open-mouthed. Santana was wearing a Warbler pin… He knew what had happened at once, and it made him very happy. It was about time in his opinion. He felt his husband start to stir, quite possibly because of the way he had moved suddenly when he saw the badge. He looked down as Nick's eyes blinked open, and a broad smile came onto his face as he saw Jeff. "Good Morning, beautiful," Jeff whispered, before leaning down to kiss him. "We have gained another honorary Warbler during the night, by the way…."

Nick looked confused as his still sleep addled mind tried to process the statement. "But we are all Warblers already, apart from…" As it dawned on him, he sprung up, turned his head towards the seat behind and stared. "Ok, Wes - way to shake things up…"

It was a smiling group that alighted from the train at Boston. One by one they had woken up to discover that Wes had done something that at one time would have seemed unthinkable - he had made a woman a member, albeit an honorary one, of their male dominated group. Not one of the long term, time served Warblers had any objection, although the question was raised if from now on they would have to refer to the Warbler family rather than the brotherhood they had always called it before. The station in Boston was quiet - even quieter than it had been the week before as Wes had passed through it, at least according to the conductor on the train. It certainly made it easier to spot Ethan and Drew as they stood on the concourse. They had driven across the previous day and after returning the hire car, had spent the night in a cheap hotel. That had been an experience in itself, and they had had their eyes opened. They had already purchased tickets for everyone for the T, and as a result, they were able to move quickly to the platform for the train to Harvard Square. It was only once they were finally on the train that Ethan noticed that Santana was wearing a Warbler pin. He was shocked at first, nudging Drew and pointing, until everything was explained to him quietly by Flint. They were both shocked by the turn of events, but nowhere near as shocked as Santana was when the two boys enveloped her in a hug when they stepped off the train. After that, however, the mood changed. As they made their way towards the street, things became quieter and more sombre. After all, this was the moment that they would all see for the first time the unremarkable road junction that had become the spot where their illustrious leader had met his end.

They did not follow the exact same route as Wes to reach that spot. He had after all diverted via his favourite diner - they took the direct route, but as they approached the spot their pace slowed until they all stopped and stared at the scene before them. They had expected that a few people that Wes was close to might turn up - they had not expected the sidewalks to be full, and for the road to have been closed by the police. The crowd seemed to be students in the main, but there were amongst them more than a few older people, that might have been staff from the college. Near the junction itself, spotted first by Sebastian, was a large photograph of Wes - it sat on a stand amongst a sea of flowers. It was increasingly obvious to them all that they had not been the only people to have loved him. Thad was starting to look tearful, and Nick and Jeff instinctively moved in to flank him, taking an arm each. Such was the volume of people that they found themselves stopped some distance from the actual spot. Try as hard as they might, it did not look as if they were going to be able to get any closer, despite the combined efforts of Santana and Sebastian. The good people of Harvard seemed to be immune to the combined effects of their best bitch glares. They could still see, and they were there - in the end, that was all that mattered.

"Excuse me," said a voice, "You're the Warblers, aren't you?"

Flint, who was the nearest, turned to see a young Asian lady standing by his side. "Yes, we are…"

"I'm Michelle Lau, Wes' cousin. You, I think, are Flint. Wes was always showing me photos of his boys. And if you are Flint, then the guy standing next to you will be Beats; Wes said that the two of you were almost joined at the hip…"

Flint couldn't help himself - he laughed, attracting the attention of all of the others at once. "Guys, this is Michelle, Wes' cousin - and thanks to him, she seems to know who most of us are…"

"Yes, I do. The tall guy and the jock over there - that will be Sebastian and Dave, though I have to say, he only looks a little like a Meerkat. Next to them, I'd say that would be Ethan and Drew. Now the guy next to them isn't a full Warbler - I'd guess that is Mike Chang, his friend from summer camp; and if I am right, then the blond next to him can only be Sam 'Trouty Mouth' Evans. The lone female must be Satan herself - Wes always said that you scared him half to death, but that he admired your style. That would leave me with Trent and Rory - two sunny young men, quite obviously in love; and the only and only Niff, flanking Thad, the only man that Wes ever loved. The man that he wanted to marry - he had even written a rough draft of his wedding vows…" She walked up to Thad, and pulled him into her arms. "Wes was like a brother to me, so that would make you my brother too. He was the best friend that I ever had. Ok, so, follow me. I think that we all deserve a spot nearer the front of the crowd."

Whereas the combined efforts of Santana and Sebastian had done nothing to stir the crowd, Michelle had only to shout "Family coming through!" for the crowd to part like the waters of the Red Sea, allowing her and the New York party to pass right through to the front. To the spot where it had all happened. There stood the three people that had organised the whole affair. The chair of the Harvard Glee Club stood side by side with the head of the Hasty Pudding Club - normally the two of them struggled to give each other the time of day, but the accident had brought them together in a shared sense of loss for the death of Wes. He had been a great talent that was now gone; taken from them all in moments by a 'selfish redneck', as one local journal's correspondent had put it. Worst of all was the fact that he too had perished moments later when he crashed his truck. No trial, no retribution. He had got away with it, to all intents and purposes.

Next to them stood Angela, taking a break with permission from the owners of the diner. She had adopted Wes as one of her own from the moment that he had first set foot inside the establishment. He was so polite, kind and intelligent; but she saw his loneliness all too clearly. Harvard had that effect on a lot of its new students. It was after all a whole new world, and it could be a cold and lonely one. One breakfast bagel later and she had a friend for life. She had known so much about him without him even telling her a thing. He told her about his boys though - his Warblers. He told her a lot about David, so it quickly became clear that he was his best friend. But then again, he was always mentioning a Thad too, and when he did, his eyes lit up. So it was clear to her that the boy in question was more than a friend, or Wes wanted him to be. In all the time she had known him, she had only seen him angry twice; firstly on a day when after a call that had made him cry, he had started to mutter darkly about killing that Meerkat; and secondly, about a year later, when he had taken another call. This time he had suddenly screamed out the word "STEROIDS!", causing the entire diner to fall silent for a moment. His rage had soon turned to tears though as the call went on, and in the end, he seemed unable to say more than "Oh, Trent…" before words failed him.

Then again, that day was nothing for misery compared to the one when he had shown up late, near closing time, and asked her if she could make him some sandwiches to go. There had been no-one else in the diner, and when she had asked him where he was going too at such a late hour, he had burst into floods of tears, and collapsed to the floor. She had darted round and held him as he sobbed, and as he told her everything. About the murder of his friend and his fiancé's suicide. How he was going to New York and would do everything in his power to see the man responsible convicted. She had no doubt that he would. He vanished from Harvard before Christmas - she remembered enough detail that when the trial started to appear in the press, she had been compelled to follow it - and what she read shocked her to the core. She had admired Wes for his love and dedication to those poor boys. Still, when he had returned last week, she had been overjoyed to see him back. Less than an hour later, she had been left distraught and heartbroken. She had been the first to come and lay a bunch of flowers at the spot, much of which was still cordoned off by police tape. She hadn't been the last though. She had been contacted two days later by Michelle Lau. She had been so angry that his parents had not given him the funeral he deserved that she had decided she needed to do something. As a result, the centre of Harvard was shut down. A huge crowd had gathered. All of them waiting for the moment that the clock told them it was 8.47am…

Now they were at the front, things started to tell for the Warblers. Trent had started to cry and quite frankly he didn't care who saw. Rory had his hand clutched tight, trying to give him strength, grateful for the fact that Ethan and Drew were keeping a close eye on them. Sebastian and Mike had moved to stand side by side, and had discretely taken each others hands too, trying to keep strong under the watchful eyes of Dave, Sam and Santana - not that she was doing that well herself. Sam had spotted this and was ready to jump in if needed. Nick and Jeff were trying their hardest to concentrate on Thad, but a combination of the crowd, the flowers, the messages, a teddy bear and yes, a Dalton tie tied around its neck were making it hard. Beats had also spotted the teddy bear with the tie, and pointed it out to Flint. None of them had brought it, so the question was, which other Warbler had placed it there? As for Thad, all he could do was stare at the picture of Wes and the older woman beside it. She noticed his eyes upon her, and moved towards him, and spoke quietly. "He loved you, Thad." Those few words set him off in sobs, and he found himself pulled into the arms of a stranger as Angela instinctively hugged him, just as she had hugged Wes on the night he had found out that Blaine was dead. In her arms, Thad felt warm, safe and loved.


	48. Keeping Vigil

**Keeping Vigil**

Thad ended up staying in Angela's care for most of the actual vigil. It began at 8.47am on the dot, with a minute of silent reflection on the life that had been lost. It wasn't totally silent of course - the traffic still moved in the distance, and as if on cue, a veritable chorus of bird song could be heard. Beats was sure he felt the draught of angel wings as he had done so often before, but he didn't turn around to look and see, his attention focused instead on those around him. They could all feel his presence so strongly here, and the pain of loss - the urge to burst into tears was so very strong. It was real here - this was the very spot where the best friend that any of them had ever had had lost his life. After the silence came speeches. The first came from Wes' tutor, who announced that his thesis was one of the best he had ever received; that he was confident that he would be awarding it top marks; that Wes would have been a force to be reckoned with in law. The speeches that followed from the Chair of the Harvard Glee Club and the leader of the Hasty Pudding's just confirmed his reputation. Next up was his former R.A., who broke down towards the end of his speech as he lamented the loss of a true friend, an angel amongst men. Michelle spoke next of the generosity and warmth of her cousin - and the contrasting coldness of his family. She spoke honestly; almost bluntly, decrying her aunt for holding a private funeral in haste. Then she mentioned his love for his boys, the Warblers - and took the time to point them out. That was when they all realised that everyone would be expecting one of them to speak…

In the end, Sebastian stepped up to the plate. He talked of love; of affection; of his power, and of his gavel. After all, it was the love of his life, after Thad. The moment that he said those words, he wished that he could take them back - had everyone here in Harvard known that Wes was gay? Would this be news to many? He looked up and saw to his delight that no-one looked disgusted or horrified; nobody was leaving. So he went on, talking about how Wes had supported and nurtured the gay couples that had appeared in the group - the late Klaine; Niff; Trory and even himself and Dave. How they had all been looking forward to the day that Thes became a reality. He pledged there and then that they would look after Thad as Wes had looked after them. Once a Warbler, always a Warbler. Forever. Until the day that they were all reunited under Wes, and then began to give the other heavenly choirs a run for their money. He stepped down from the podium, and was glad when Dave pulled him into a hug - it allowed him to hide his tears on his chest.

Finally, it was the turn of Angela to step forward - she thanked them all for coming. She added nothing else, apart from one fact. Wes had been a believer in human kindness; in love and peace. That to honour him, they should all try to respect each other, and abandon their petty squabbles. Should help each other, instead of hindering. But that now, as Wes would have wanted, they all needed to get back to the reality of their lives. With that, she stepped back, and as if it had been a cue, the crowd began to disperse. Some came over to speak to Michelle and the Warblers, to offer their sincere condolences to his 'family'. Thad found himself talking to so many people that he lost count. And then it was just them, Michelle and Angela left. The traffic began to flow again through the intersection. Apart from the flowers, it was back to normal. Angela had to get back to work, and she insisted that they all come with her. After all, they had to be hungry; and she thought that one of Wes' breakfast bagels each would be a fine tribute to him. As if ordained, Jeff's stomach rumbled loudly at that point, and before they knew it, they were all laughing. Half an hour later they were all at the diner and eating bagels, all in agreement with Wes - they were delicious. Santana had offered to help with the preparation of the food, as had Sam. "I guess," said Angela. "After all, Manhattan is far enough away for the diner that you work in not to be real competition…" Santana blushed as she realised that she had been well and truly caught.

After the bagels, they all began to think of returning home. With the college term either starting or continuing the next day, they could not stay forever, however much they would have liked to. Thad was not ready to leave just yet - it turned out that Michelle had managed to 'borrow' the keys to Wes' apartment from her aunt, and he wanted to see it, just once. He knew that his family would be keen to dismantle his home as soon as possible, so it was a case of today, or never. This left the others with a bit of a dilemma - none of them really wanted to leave him alone. In the end, Ethan and Drew stepped up and agreed to stay in Boston with him - after all, the university term in England did not restart until the end of September, and so they had no stress about classes the following day. They parted ways at Harvard Square station, with Thad promising Nick that he would not be too late in getting back. Then he and his two friends accompanied Michelle to the small apartment that Wes had regarded as home during most of his life at Harvard.

It might have been small, but it was more than adequate for his needs. Located in an older building near the centre of town, it boasted a lot of period features. It consisted of a tiny kitchen, an equally small room set up as a study, a decent sized bathroom and a bed sitting room. It was in this latter room that the four of them now stood. The room was typically Wes - more or less tidy, but with the occasional pocket of disorganised chaos. A pile of sheet music stood in a haphazard fashion to one side of the bed; next to it, but further from the bed, was a pile of law textbooks, the titles of which made Thad's head hurt. On the opposite side of the bed was a small chest of drawers, the top of which was covered with framed photographs. As the others carried on looking around the room, Thad concentrated solely on those photos. He had seen some of them before - he had his own copies after all of the ones of the groups of Warblers, but there was another group photograph in which a very young Wes smiled out from his spot next to a man Thad recognised as Louis, the Head Warbler before Wes. It had to have been taken in his freshman year. As he looked more closely, he spotted Connor, the Head Warbler in his own freshman year; the guy between him and Louis must be Gabriel, he realised, the then Head. Next to it, there was another photo of a very young Wes with a equally young David and another boy. Thad knew at once he had to take that one, if only to ask David who the other boy was. The thing that he noticed was that apart from one picture of Wes and Michelle, there were no family pictures at all. His eyes moved then to the nightstand, and saw another photo - one of himself and Wes that had been taken for them by a stranger, in Central Park, back in June. The two of them both smiling broadly, heads leant on each others shoulders…

"He loved you so much, you know. He was always talking about you; had done for nearly five years… That photo just proves it to me. It has pride of place in the room, by his bed. You should take it; in fact, you should take as much as you can, because if I know my aunt and uncle, they will hire a company to come and just throw everything in a dumpster. So take a good look around boys; check everything, because if you don't…" said Michelle.

So they did just that. They found all the notebooks that Wes had kept about the Warblers in his two years on the council; they found albums full of photographs that he had taken; they found a folder full of greetings cards, including all the birthday and Christmas cards that they had sent him over the years. It was a complete history of the Warblers. Ethan discovered the small teddy bear that Thad had bought him in his junior year, when he had confessed at a party that he had never had one at all, when Jeff had mentioned how his own childhood bear had been lost. He handed it to Thad, who wiped at his eyes, before carefully placing the teddy, well worn from handling, into his bag. It was Michelle that found something just as precious - she had after all known exactly what she was looking for. The half written wedding vows that Wes had shown her. She slipped them into the same box as the photos albums - Thad did not need to see them now, but one day she knew that he would want to. The day would come when all the memories they were packing up would become all the more important to them.

Having gathered up all the papers that were obvious; having set the law books aside to be sent on to Nick, who might find some of them useful; having packed up the sheet music with the intention of taking it to Dalton next week, where no doubt the new generation of Warblers would find a use for it, the room was beginning to look a lot emptier. It was still obvious that someone had lived there; the little signs still remained even now that all the photographs had been taken down. The door to the wardrobe was opened just enough to show the clothes that were neatly hung up inside. It appeared that the rumours that had always circulated at Dalton were true - Wes did not own a single pair of jeans. A few pairs of well polished shoes sat in a neat row underneath the chest of drawers. That was when it suddenly occurred to Thad that they had not looked in there. As the other three began to work their way through the contents of the small bookcase, he pulled open the drawers one by one. The top two contained items of no real value to anyone - underwear and socks, so Thad paid them scant attention, apart from when he noticed it nestling amongst the boxer shorts. The paper knife had been a gift from Kurt when he left Dalton - Wes was always getting paper cuts on envelopes. Thad hesitated for a second, then seeing he was unobserved, he took it and put it in his bag - he had a use for it later.

The final drawer contained a number of neatly folded undershirts and jumpers, all of which had been recently laundered by the look of it. He was about to shut the drawer over, but something made him stop and lift the red cardigan, a part of the Dalton uniform. Below it were a stack of small notebooks, all labelled with a year. Wes had always been rumoured to have kept a secret journal, but no-one had ever come across it in all of their time at Dalton. Thad had just discovered the motherload. They were not something that he wanted to share, at least not yet. Whilst the others were still distracted he removed what turned out to be a dozen books and placed them in Wes' rucksack, which sat empty by the side of the bed. He also pulled out a polo shirt - it was the one that Wes had been wearing that day in Central Park. It was just there to cover over the pile of journals, he told himself. No other reason. That didn't stop him from taking the half full bottle of cologne from the bathroom shelf….

In the end, it was almost two by the time they locked the door and headed back in the direction of the T. As Thad had never spent any time in the place with Wes, it was nowhere near as sad as it could have been. It still felt awful though to be walking away and leaving those rooms when there was still so much of Wes in them. But it had to be done; there was no point in boxing up bed linens and clothing, although Ethan had reverently packed up Wes' Dalton uniform, complete with the blazer pocket adapted to hold Mr Bangy. They had retrieved the important stuff - the things that would help them all to remember Wes in the years to come. Michelle joined them on their journey back to Boston - her family lived on the other side of the city, and she was heading there now. She gave her mobile phone number to Thad as they sat side by side on the train. They had both loved Wes so much - her family had tried to arrange their marriage, but neither of them had wanted it, for the obvious reasons. She told him not to hesitate in calling her if he needed to chat to someone; to talk about him, any time. She had also earlier given her number discretely to Nick and Sebastian, asking them to call her if Thad was ever in trouble. She had a feeling that the full enormity of the situation was going to hit him hard, one day soon.

At the station, she bid farewell to Ethan and Drew first, promising that she would see them at Dalton next week. They then moved slightly away, knowing that she would want to talk to Thad on her own. "Don't be a stranger. Wes was like a brother to me, and, you should have been my brother too, if he hadn't… If you need to talk, call me. You can't do all of this on your own, whatever you might think. So, give me a hug…" Without waiting for an answer, she pulled him close to her and just held him. Then when they parted, she sighed. "I have a small confession to make. I am shocked that none of you actually noticed…" She took off the messenger bag that she had been wearing all day, and handed it to a bemused Thad. It was only once he had it in his hands that he noticed the initials W.M. on it… "This is his. It was the one that he had with him on the bike when… You should have it. I have looked at it, and a part of me wanted to keep it - but no. It belongs with you and his boys, Thad. There is stuff in it that I think you really need to see…"

Thad was back on the train to New York before he finally got a chance to look in the bag. They had been fortunate to get one of the few groups of four seats on the train this time, and he sat facing backwards with Ethan and Drew sitting opposite him. He had explained to them what the bag was and where it had come from, and they were just as curious as he was to see what the bag contained. The bag had been thrown from Wes' bicycle as the truck had impacted upon it, and it had landed safely and softly - this meant that none of its contents had been damaged. There was firstly another one of the small notebooks, this time with 2014 written on it, so obviously his current journal; Thad placed that to one side, and knew he would return to read it later, to see what was going on in his mind during the momentous year. There was a paperback novel - ironically it was a copy of _Where Angels Fear to Tread_. The point at which Wes had stopped was marked, and Thad hoped he had a chance to finish it in heaven. He had difficulty stopping his tears when he saw the now fading red and yellow rose from the wedding, and the Daltonesque bowtie, like the one they all had, both beside his invitation card. There was also his digital camera, which he had been using a lot that night - there would be a lot of images captured that they would all want to see. When he switched it on, the first image to appear on the viewing screen was a picture of himself…

After a moment's pause, during which he blinked the tears from his eyes again, Thad pulled out the last item in the bag - a piece of sheet music, annotated in Wes' careful writing. It was obviously the piece of music that he had been going to sing as his audition piece for the Hasty Pudding Club. Thad was curious as to what he had chosen, but one glance at the title made him gasp in shock. He held it out to Ethan, who took it - and moments later, both he and Drew were drawing in a breath too. "Oh, Wes," said Ethan, "if only you had known…" In a twist of irony, Wes had elected to sing _Bye Bye Blackbird_.

"We have to sing this at his memorial," said Thad.

"No other song would fit so well," agreed Ethan, as Drew nodded in agreement.

'Yes, it is perfect,' thought Thad. 'But who should sing the lead part? Sebastian or Nick I suppose. I mean, I would like to, but…I can't…"

The train brought them back into Penn Station for just after 7.30pm; it took them nearly an hour to get back to Bushwick, and then only because they had decided to take a cab rather than the subway. They had called ahead to the others, and Sam was waiting for them outside the door to the big loft. Ethan and Drew were going to be spending the night there in the spare room; Thad had elected to sleep on the camp bed in the study. He did not feel able to sleep in the spare bed next door in Mike's room. To him, that room would always be the one that he had shared with Wes for a week - in separate beds of course, but still so close. He was still able to visit it, and they would be crossing over with Sam for something to eat - Nick had a chicken stew prepared, and there would no doubt be cookies for afterwards. He could sit happily in their kitchen, in the living area, but that room would always be where he and Wes had been happiest - it was always going to belong to Wes in his mind. Sam had offered to let Thad sleep in his room, but he had declined, not wanting to put the younger boy out of his bed. In any case, it was only for one night - he would be returning to L.A. the next day.

As it happened, he didn't. After dinner with the boys - and he had to admit Nick's culinary prowess was going from strength to strength, he had excused himself, and made his way to his bed in the study. There he found Wes waiting for him. He realised suddenly that he hadn't seen him since Wednesday, and so much had happened since then. "I am glad to see that you went and collected all of my stuff. I couldn't have borne the knowledge that all my photos and my journals would just have ended up in the trash. I thought about coming along today to see you all in Harvard, but….it would just have been too hard. So, I just stayed in my new flat…. They tell me that there was a good turnout…"

"Hundreds of people. A sea of flowers. Michelle was there, and she told me that I was her brother now - she is just so lovely Wes. And we all ended up at the diner for breakfast bagels - and you were right; they are so good…"

"I do miss them; I am just glad I had time for one before…" Wes paused as he saw Thad's face fall slightly as he mentioned his death. "Anyway, I have some news for you. I think that you should go back to Ohio with Ethan and Drew this week rather than heading back to L.A. David is fine, and he even managed to leave the house yesterday as he had something he needed to do… So, they were Jeff's idea originally I hear…"

Thad nodded, knowing at once what Wes was talking about. He was so pleased that it appeared that David had joined them in getting a tattoo; it was yet another common bond between them all. He smiled at Wes, and then began to roll up his shirt sleeve; this done, he carefully lifted the tapes on the dressing to reveal the word Greenfinch on his shoulder.

Wes could only smile as he saw it. The Greenfinch was his favourite bird, not that he had ever said as much to anyone - that was why he had given that name to Thad. That his boys would do something like this was beautiful. He had to remember and thank Jeff sometime. "I have to admit that I am so touched that you would all do something like this for me. So, I had a word with Elizabeth, because I wanted to show you all just how much you all mean to me too…" Wes stopped and rolled up his own shirt sleeves to show the word Blackbird tattooed on his own skin. "After all, I always lead by example…"

Thad longed for a moment to reach out and touch the tattoo. He knew of course that he couldn't - his hand would sink into empty air, and that would make him howl out with pain. So he contented himself with saying "It is beautiful Wes. I had to admit, I wasn't sure if you would approve…"

"The old Wes would have been shocked to the core, I must admit, that all of his Warblers were getting tattoos. I can almost hear myself screaming 'What next? Nose rings?' But now - well I can see the beauty in it; what the words mean and stand for. So I am not mad - in fact, even Kurt and Blaine have joined in; though Blaine has confessed he is so happy that he did not have to sit and have Nightingale tattooed on his shoulder for real. So, are you going to explain that other bandage on your chest to me, or do I have to hazard a guess…?"

Thad sighed, and removed his shirt, revealing to Wes the second dressing that was in place over his heart. He had stayed at the tattooist after he had had his bird name done with a request. He knew what he wanted, what he needed. He peeled back the dressing carefully to reveal three little letters spelling one word above his heart. Wes. Thad had 'borrowed' the note that Wes had written to Nick, photographed the signature with his phone, and then blown it up on screen. At that scale, it had been easy enough to copy. It looked as if Wes had written his name on Thad's skin, just as Nick and Jeff had done to each other. The young man in question just stared at the spot, tears beginning to fill his eyes. Thad blinked back his own tears as he spoke. "You will always be in my heart, Wessie. I will never love anyone else. So, if I can't have you here with me, then I will carry your name on my heart for the rest of my days; close to me, all the time."

Wes was crying hard now, but had begun to slowly unbutton his shirt. "Ditto. I will wait for you forever. I am just so glad that I guessed right…."

Thad looked over and started to cry himself. There, across Wes' heart, was written in his own hand his name. "Oh, Wes…"

"I will love you, and wait for you, until the day that you die, be it in a week or a century. I just wish…." Neither of them said another word, but just sat there, their eyes locked on each other. Eventually, Thad lay down on the bed, tired from a long day of travelling. He still looked at Wes, and only at him, until his eyes closed in sleep, red rimmed and moist. The exhaustion of his day had finally caught up on him. Wes whispered "Goodnight, my love" and then headed back to his own bed.


	49. Two Letters Finally Read

_Hope someone is reading - hard to tell with story stats not working!_

 **Two Letters Finally Read**

The next morning came, and with it a day that meant only one thing for most of those on earth - college. Nick and Jeff were the first to leave Bushwick, heading for their respective parts of Columbia, Nick with his messenger bag and a rucksack containing both of their lunches, packed for simplicity on the first day; Jeff was laden down with his portfolio, his own satchel, and a backpack which contained enough stationary to start a shop. They ended up squashed together in a tiny spot on the train, but neither of them had any issue with that. After all, they were married now…

They were followed later by Santana and Sam, off to NYADA for the first time as students. They had arranged to meet up with Sebastian and Marley outside so that they could enter the building together, and start off as they meant to go on, as the Ohio posse. After all, it was the first time in the history of the school that four people from the same area had commenced at the same time; the fact that three of them had graduated from the same school made it even more unusual. As for the fact that Carmen Tibideaux had given three of them direct entry - well that made them the talk of the school. She herself knew that she was taking a big risk, but she felt that it was more than justified. They would not let here down, not when the memory of those two lovely boys was at sake.

Elsewhere in the city, Dave had called for Ryder, to show him where to go and what to do on his first day. Kitty and Brittany did not start their own classes until later in the day, but they too had made arrangements to meet up at NYU. The only one of their group that would be going to a new college alone was Mike, and he would be accompanied by Kurt and Blaine. He had stated that he didn't need anyone with him, but both angels had ignored him. The only thing that tainted what should have been a happy day was the knowledge that Wes should have been starting on his own fourth year at Harvard at the same time.

Thad, Ethan and Drew had a very different morning to the others. They had been able to take a slightly more leisurely approach to the day; they had seen all the others leave with the exceptions of Brittany and Mike - the latter having no official classes that day, although he did have to go and register a few things that afternoon, and then would go an do some work in the studio afterwards. Thad was going to accompany Ethan and Drew to the tattoo parlour later that morning, where the words Yellowhammer and Bunting respectively would be applied to their shoulders. It would be a lengthy process, particularly for Ethan, and Thad had decided that he would utilise his time in calling David back in L.A. Even though Wes had told him that he was doing better and he did not need to go back, there was a large part of him that felt he should go and support his friend. Yes, he had his mother and Mercedes, but were they really enough - after all, they had not been as close to Wes as they both had. How then could they possibly even begin to comprehend the pain?

He waited until after 11am to call; it would still be early in L.A. and he wondered for a moment if David would even be awake yet. He was, and as it turned out, Wes was right. From the sound of his voice, he could tell that he was feeling better. It was a week now since he had taken that phone call and had heard the news that had broken all of their hearts. There was still a definite sadness in his friend's voice, but it wasn't as all consuming. He no longer sounded as if he could burst into tears at the slightest misplaced word. He asked how the memorial had gone, and Thad told him all about the crowd; the flowers; the heartfelt tributes that were paid. He half expected that as he talked he would hear David breakdown and start to cry, but he didn't, although by the end of his description the sadness in his tone had increased just a little. His voice had become lighter when he had mentioned Michelle; David had known Wes for so much longer and he had met her before, on the few times she and her parents had visited Ohio. He sounded so pleased when Thad told him that she intended to come to the memorial at Dalton, as it would be good to have a chance to catch up. Thad passed on her mobile number so that he could call her beforehand if he wished, and he was rewarded with profuse thanks.

It was at that point that he told David that Wes had paid him a visit, and had suggested that it would be more practical for him to head straight to Ohio rather than back to L.A., given that he would only have to fly back in a few days. David went very quiet for a moment, and then spoke. "I think that he might be right, as he always is. You have been flying around so much in the last few weeks, what with the wedding and your trip to Harvard. I know you feel that you ought to be here for me, and if I was a totally selfish person, I would tell you to get on the plane right now. But, the thing is, you would need to fly back to Ohio on Thursday at the latest to start sorting everything out at Dalton. You would need to oversee the rehearsals of all the songs that are to be sung. You can do that far more easily on the east coast than you could from here, even with the benefit of Skype. I would actually say that you should stay in New York right now, because so many of the people that will want to sing are there. The one thing that will be worrying you is how you can rehearse me, but I have made a decision on that score. I will not be singing at the memorial, Thad. I just can't and won't, and there will be no negotiation on that either. I know that some people might think I am letting you all down, but that is their opinion. I just know that I can't do it. Wes will understand, I'm sure."

Thad knew that he would, and David had a good point. It would be so much simpler to organise and co-ordinate the memorial on the ground rather than on the opposite side of a continent. Staying in New York for a couple of nights before heading to Ohio was a good idea too. He had so much to sort out. There was only one song chosen for definite after all. He decided that he needed to do a brainstorm via Skype that night. David agreed to take part in that - it would also give the others a chance to see him for the first time since the news had broken. The official memorial they would all no doubt agree had to be dignified and in keeping with the solemnity of the occasion. Their own one that followed could be a bit more like Blaine's funeral, full of fun and laughter. Thad knew that he was going to have to work hard, but he could do it. He could ensure that they left a lasting legacy for Wes. After that, well he already knew what came next; what he was going to do…

The rest of the week passed quickly on earth. Thad had to organise the songs for the private memorial that would take place after the public one at Dalton. After all of his worries, it had been a simple process in the end to decide on the songs for the public memorial - most of the songs would be sung by the current generation of Warblers and the alumni would be left with only two songs, which had proved simple enough to rehearse over Skype once parts had been assigned. If would be the next part of the day that would be hard, when they would have to sing so much in memory of their illustrious leader. Thad had made a few suggestions to the others, and they had made some of their own. Thad already knew that Ethan and Drew wanted to sing something together; Trent wanted a solo; Sebastian did as well, and he also intended to work with Nick and Jeff on two others. Naturally both of the latter wished a solo spot too. Flint had also requested a solo slot, but was enigmatic about the song he was going to sing, just begging Thad to trust him. He had considered the request, and as Flint had never been a source of trouble, he agreed to it. All of the songs that they suggested were within the bounds of what Wes would have termed comic songs, and so Thad was sure that he would approve. He had always insisted that at the end of each and every rehearsal they should make time to sing something that would make them all smile. Wes had loved his comic songs, almost as much as his Monty Python…

And suddenly Thad knew what they had to sing as a group number at the end of their personal tribute to Wes. The one song that was guaranteed to make Wes grin from ear to ear when he heard it. The one song that he had never, ever, ever attempted to have the Warblers sing. He knew that if the song choice got out to the Principal, then they would not be allowed to sing it now either. It would have to be a grand production number, with parts not only for the alumni Warblers, but the current boys and the New Directions too. After all, they were all intending to attend, with one notable exception. Rachel had come to him on the Monday and told him that she could not get the time off, having already taken the Saturday of Nick and Jeff's wedding off. He understood, and he knew that Wes would too. On the other hand, Puck would be coming; although Thad thoroughly disapproved, he had informed his commanding officers that Wes was his cousin, and had been granted leave. He had been told by Quinn that Puck had been far more affected by his death than they had all expected.

In heaven, the week had also passed quickly. Wes had decided that he needed to spend some time with each of his boys, and with his friends in the New Directions. He took time to visit them all for a little time, but he didn't stay too long, nor did he see them every day, with one exception - David. He had chosen to leave Thad alone more; he had a lot of work to do, plus he needed to get over his loss. Wes could see quite clearly that he was not over it in the slightest, and his being around all the time would certainly not aid the process. David was getting much better now - he was able to go out now, and did so on his own a few times. He was still fragile though, and the slightest thing could cause him to fall apart. That had nearly happened on Wednesday, when a package had arrived from Thad, containing some of the photos from Wes' room. When David had come across the photo of himself with Wes and the other boy, all so very young, he had burst into floods of tears. Wes knew exactly why he was crying, as did Mrs Thompson, but the whole thing had thrown Mercedes. Once his tears had stopped, David knew that it was time, and after getting his mother's approval, he told Mercedes a secret that only Wes had ever known. She listened and suddenly understood so much. She promised not to tell anyone. Secretly, she was so pleased that David had let her in - it meant that he trusted and loved her just as much as she loved him.

Wes made another decision that week. He could see that all of his boys were coping, but they were struggling. He knew that sometimes you had to be cruel to be kind, so he had decided that once the memorials were over, he was going to vanish for a while. He had informed Elizabeth of his decision, and that he would start working with her the following week, to give himself something with which to occupy his mind. He would leave them all to get over his loss without him. After all, when Blaine had died, they had not seen him for two months until the wondrous events of Thanksgiving. His absence from their lives had helped them all to deal with his departure. He did not intend to depart from their lives for ever - he would reappear by Christmas at the latest. He had promised them to be around forever, and he meant it. He just needed them all to get stronger and to get on with the business of living.

The best thing he had discovered in heaven was that Elizabeth was a truly marvellous woman. She was kind, motherly and loving; but at the same time, she could be ruthless and businesslike. She had to be - her job was hard. Dealing with so much death, each and every day did take its toll, particularly when you had been doing it seven days a week for over a decade. That was why she had such high hopes for Wes. He had a similar determination to get things right first time; was a stickler for details and standards, but at the same time he had a real compassion for the welfare of other people. She wasn't totally sure that he was doing the right thing by coming and working for her so soon; in avoiding his flock, as he termed them, for a while. She had a real worry about the well-being of one of them in particular. Just now, however, she merely encouraged Wes to fly as much as he could. He had picked it up swiftly after his first lessons. She sent him out with Kurt or Blaine; but if they were busy, he was a capable enough flyer to go out on his own. She knew that like the other three boys that had come before him, flight was a great comfort to him. The sky was a place in which he could lose all his worries and concerns; it was an escape.

On the Friday afternoon before the memorials, Thad found himself waiting at Columbus airport for the flight from L.A. that was bringing David, his mother and Mercedes back to Ohio. He had volunteered to drive them all to the Thompson house, where Mercedes' parents would be picking her up; they had been invited to stay for afternoon tea, as had Thad. Although he still had so much to do to ensure that everything was perfect the following day, he knew better than to refuse an invitation from David's mother. So he took his seat at the table with the others, and made small talk with the rest of them, putting on the dapper act that Dalton had instilled in him so well. No mention was made of Wes or the events of the last few weeks - Mercedes had briefed her parents well in advance of the event. Even so, Mrs Jones did pull Thad into a tight hug as the three of them took their leave. He would see all of them again the following day; the Jones family knew enough of Wes and his reputation to want to be there at his memorial to commemorate a life lost so tragically young.

After they had left, Mrs Thompson took the two boys into the lounge. Thad had tried to escape, protesting that he had too much to do, but she was having none of it. She sat them down side by side on the couch, and stood before them, an envelope in each hand. "I know that this is going to be hard for you both, but you owe him this. He took the time to write to you; now you need to read what he said." David sat quietly, looking down at his feet; Thad opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say a word, he was rewarded with a look. "What if he has left some instruction for his memorial in these letters, and by not reading them beforehand, you fail to carry it out? Could you live with that?" Thad realised that she was right; with a trembling hand, he accepted his envelope. David followed his lead, and he was the first to tear his open and read what was enclosed….

 _David,_

 _I wish that I had the chance to say goodbye to you properly Davie. I could probably confide in you about what I now know, and you would not say a word. I have always been able to trust you with my biggest secrets. How much I hated my two stepbrothers when I was 8. That I was gay at 15. That I had fallen head over heels in love with Thad in my sophomore year. That I would rather have died myself than lived to see Kurt and Blaine die. So my having worked out that I was about to die would not have shocked you too much._

 _So why did I chose to say nothing this time to my oldest and best friend? Because you would have done everything in your power to try and stop it happening. You would have offered yourself up in my stead to whatever God you believed was listening. It would also have ruined Niff's big day for you. I just wanted everyone to have one last, really good day before the whole world turned to hell. Please don't take offence from the fact that I said nothing. I just didn't want to see you hurt. I guess that I love you as much as Thad, just in a totally different way._

 _Be happy for me Davie. Do not dwell on my going. Please, I am begging you, do not let it run your life. I doubt these words will have much effect if I know you. You will get all down and will be so very sad. But I need you to be strong, and take care of my poor Thaddie for me. He will need you as much as you need him in the next few weeks. Between the two of you, you have a tradition to uphold, the Warblers to hold together. They will be looking to you for leadership and support. I know that you will find that hard, but you and Thad have to bind them together and hold them up. I will be behind you, all the day, at your call. We all know that you never wanted to be in charge - I often believe you only took the deputy role to please me. That was how Sebastian ended up as Captain. And that lead directly into the descent into anarchy that followed._

 _So between you and Thad, you need to be there for them. My going is going to be rough on the two of you, but it will also be so hard on them. Nick, Jeff, Trent, Beats, Flint, Ethan and Drew will feel so much pain - heck, even Sebastian will struggle with this. And how can I forget my two youngest, Jasper and Brad? That picture of Jeff's will be my final act as Head Warbler now. What a memorial to have! All of us, acting so out of character, to help the artist in our midst. We are such an eclectic bunch. All of us are united by our love of music and song; of camaraderie; of each other. That is after all what we have, and always did have - a brotherly love that transcended all barriers, and will continue to do so even now. You two need to keep that alive. Make our saying, Once a Warbler, Always a Warbler, mean something._

 _Now, as for you, my dearest friend, when I heard that you and Mercedes were an item, I for one was overjoyed. I think that we all were, mainly because it finally proved that at least one of our happy band was actually straight! I was starting to think that we had managed to comply to some kind of stereotype without intending to. I mean, does it concern you as much as me just how much Beats and Flint enjoy their nights out at that club in Manhattan? I was starting to think that when I left Dalton, I would have been better to have arranged my leaving party at Scandals… I want you to be happy, Davie, and she will make you happy. I know that for a fact. She is perfect for you. Let her into your heart and your soul. She is the one for you, I can tell. She will want to help you through all of this. Let her. Don't keep her out. Embrace her. My main disappointment is that I can no longer be best man at your wedding now, anymore than you can be mine when I marry Thad. Unless of course you happen to die before him and then you can be. Can I have a best angel, I wonder?_

 _I will always be here for you, Davie. I promised you that when I was 9, in a very solemn moment in your garden. I might not be physically there anymore, but you will always be able to feel the draught from my wings. I don't break my promises, as long as I can physically help it. We are friends in life, and we still will be in death. Never forget that. I will be there, whenever you need me. Thanks to Kurt and Blaine, I can guarantee that._

 _Ok, I have to sign off now. I will always love you, my best friend, my blood brother._

 _Yours with all my love,_

 _Wes._

Having read his letter, David felt a strange mixture of emotions. There was still that overpowering sense of grief that seemed to fill every waking hour at the moment. But he also felt such pride that Wes had trusted him, and knew that he always could. That he felt that he had what it took to help keep their brotherhood alive, and make it really mean something. Between himself, Thad and the others, he was pretty sure that they could actually achieve something; keep alive the ideals of both Wes and the Warblers. 'A permanent Warbler council; a group of men that foster the spirit of co-operation and brotherhood that they had themselves in the new generations that follow. That would be a worthy legacy for Wes.' As he thought that, David suddenly felt so energised, for the first time since he had found out that Wes was dead. He had a new mission in life - now he just needed to get the others on board.

Thad was still staring at the envelope in his own hands. He glanced up to see Mrs Thompson looking at him in anticipation; next to him, David was smiling broadly in a way that he hadn't since the wedding; he could see from his eyes that it was completely genuine. Something that Wes had said in that letter had got him smiling again. Slowly he tore along the top of the envelope, and pulled out the two sheets of good quality writing paper. Wes had always been a little old-fashioned in his choice of stationary, and now he appreciated why. He could easily read his handwriting; had learnt to do so when he had to transfer Wes' notes to the minute books of the Warblers as secretary. He took a deep breath, and began to read…

 _My dearest Thaddie,_

 _Before we go any further, I want you to know that I love you. I have done since that day six years ago, when as a shy young freshman, you auditioned to join the Warblers. I was but a lowly sophomore then, in the room to cheer on David, but you captivated me then. If I could turn back the clock, knowing what I know now, then I would have declared my feelings to you there and then; to have the opportunity to be with you as Blaine was with Kurt, and Jeff is with Nick. I am hoping that they would have called us Thes - Wad seems a trifle unattractive to my mind…_

 _I say this in case you wonder with what I tell you next if I only said what I did because I wanted to make you happy. That could not be further from the truth. Like so much in my life, I left it far too late to speak up. So, yes, anyway, here goes. I write this to you in the early hours of Saturday morning, the last of my missives, knowing that by the time that you get this, I will be dead. In what way I will die I am unsure, but I will die. Fact. I worked it out you see. Blaine is stressed out with having to carry out a big collection. Has to be someone he is close to. I watched him last night, and every time I approached him, he vanished. He hasn't been near me now for nearly two months. He can't bear to look at me, because it would be too awful for him. He knows what my fate is._

 _Some people, if confronted with the inevitability of death would scream and cry, and it did cross my mind. But it would have been pointless. Blaine_ _had_ _to die as it was scheduled. I am on the books and so I must go too. At least I have a chance to prepare, to write these letters to you and David, and the little notes to my boys and the others I was closest to. I am still going to see those two goobers get married, and I just have a gut feeling that either Trent or Rory is going to ask a big question… I will be spending the day in the mindset of Thad's boyfriend as much as possible, and jettisoning my usual place of Head Warbler. There is a big part of me that wants to run to the New Yorker right this very minute to get you, and then spirit you away to some secluded hotel, to give you a day that you will never forget; something to remember me by. But you would keep thinking of Niff, and so would I, so it would be pointless. I just wish I had twigged to what is going on earlier. Still, I am determined that I will do something today that will leave you speechless and happy - did I manage?_

 _The good thing is that you will be able to see me, even once I am gone. I will be an angel, I hope, flitting from place to place on my wings. I tried to imagine myself with wings about an hour ago - stood in front of the mirror and tried to project, but to no avail. Even having seen Finn, Blaine and Kurt - it all just seems too supernatural. Let us just hope that when I have my own, I do not react in the way that I did on the night of Kurt and Blaine's wedding - closed eyed flying sounds far from safe… That is the good part of all this, because I know that the idea of never seeing you would shatter me. I missed you so much from the moment that I left Dalton - why else do you think I kept coming back? I had hoped that you and David would join me at Harvard, but once he told me that he couldn't get in and so was set on UCLA, I pushed you to follow him there. He isn't good on his own - his need was greater than mine. All I can say is, thank God for Skype! (Is that blasphemy? If it is, then I'm sorry…)_

 _I have to say this now too. That week in Bushwick when it was just the two of us was the best week of my life, no comparison. I wish that I had gone further, risked more, and asked you to share my bed, instead of making you sleep in Sebastian's. I was trying to be a gentleman, as always, when all I really wanted to do was take you in my arms and ravish you. That week made me realise that we would work together domestically as a couple. I could live with you, and I hope vice versa. We'd have been good. And I would have got around to asking you to marry me long before you were 30. I mean, I wanted to marry you before I turned 30 - in retrospect, before either of us turned 25 sounds so good…_

 _Enough with the regrets. It is too late now to alter what has been left undone or unsaid. I can't travel back in time, any more than I can change the fate that is about to befall me. You have no idea how much I want to though… I suppose that knowing what I do, I could abandon my audition and instead stay the night with you in New York, huddled together in your bed. However, that would mean that either you would be forced to bear witness to the moment that I die, or that I might upset some great cosmic plan, just as Blaine did. Who knows what the consequences of that might be? I have to just let fate do its worst. I pray that whatever it is that comes, it is quick and relatively painless. I don't want to be hooked up on machines, or linger on in agony. I know that you would not be able to bear it if that is what happened to me._

 _I'm afraid that if I know my family, they will have taken over every aspect of my final steps on earth. They will collect my body and arrange my funeral; and they will exclude you and all of the other Warblers from it. My parents never approved of my singing, feeling that it was a distraction from my true direction in life i.e. Work, Work, Work! My half brothers were far less trouble, working so hard and marrying the girl that was chosen for them, the mindless drones. Who would ever have imagined that I, Wes Montgomery, was a rebel? My being gay would have been the last straw for them so I hid it until I was well past the age of 21, for good reason. My Will will let you know all about that. I would rather of course have had you and my boys organise my funeral. I would have liked one like Blaine's. All funny songs, jokes and laughs, not the no doubt cold and quick service that my family will provide. I very much doubt that it will be well attended - my dear brothers will probably not even make an effort to attend. I will at least be cremated, as is tradition, so maybe you can steal me back?_

 _It is hard to write this, my love, knowing that you are so close to me, and yet so far away, and about to get even further from me. It's hardly any distance at all right now as an angel flies… I don't know how long it will be until you come to join me, but whether it is 100 minutes or 100 years, I will wait for you, in the hope that you will still be free, and you will still want to be with me. If you do find someone else after I am gone, then I will not deny that it will upset me; but as long as they make you happy, then I will not object. I promise not to start throwing things around in a supernatural temper tantrum. I have the funny feeling though that you will wait for me. Promise me that if you do, that you will surround yourself with friends and work, and try to forget the sense of loss. I know that is easier to say than to do. I am just so sorry that you are having to go through all of this. Stay strong, Thaddie. You have to, for me._

 _I know that the Warblers will come together to get through this, and to help you, and of course, my Davie. You know as well as I do that the end of our bromance will be every bit as hard for him to bear as losing me is to you. His friendship with me began not long after kindergarten. He will know that he has to protect you for my sake, for the rest of your life, or his, whichever is the shorter. I am positive that he will be there for you always. I will remind him of that in any case…_

 _Ok, this is it. The hardest words I have ever had to write; ever had to commit to paper…._

 _I love you so much Thaddie. We would have been so good. I hate that we are being torn apart like this. I can only say I love you. I love you. I love you. Always and forever. I will wait for you, and I will come for you when it is your time. I will take you into my arms and never, ever let you go again. I want to marry you and say that you are my husband. Thad Montgomery or Wes Harwood? Or we could do a Blaine and become Wes and Thad Warbler… You can decide. But I_ _will_ _marry you. That is a promise._

 _Ok, going now. I wish I didn't have to, but I do…. It is so f****** unfair! I hate it._

 _All my love, for all eternity._

 _Yours and only ever yours._

 _Wessie_

 _x(to the power of 1,000,000)_

Having read the final words, Thad collapsed onto David, and cried; deep aching sobs that almost set him off too. But he didn't cry; he couldn't allow that to happen. He had to be strong, for Thad's sake. Eventually, Thad stopped crying, and handed the letter to David, who immediately passed over his own.

"I've failed him by not reading this sooner," said Thad, the words almost catching in his throat. "If I had, then maybe I could have stolen him back on Sunday when I was in Boston… Now it is too late to do that before tomorrow. I mean, if I had access to a helicopter then it might just be achievable…"

David stared at him for a moment, and then they were both laughing hard. "Why is it I can hear the Mission Impossible theme in my head?" said David, causing Thad to laugh again. "We will get him back to Dalton, Thaddie. If it is after the memorial then it doesn't really matter. We just have to get him back to his home, the place he loved. And we will…"


	50. Returning to the Nest

**Returning to the Nest**

The next morning dawned bright, sunny and warm. The memorial for Wes was not due to commence until 2pm, but that fact did not mean that anyone could sleep in until mid-morning, at least not if they were one of the Warblers. The only exception to the rule was David, who was still adamant in his refusal to sing; and none of the others would have dared to challenge him on it. So he still slept as the others began to converge on their old school, still standing strong and unchanged. The main difference as they walked through the doors just after 8am that morning was that they had the place more or less to themselves; all the boarders had now been relocated to newer buildings and the last of the dorms in the old school, those that had been allocated to the Warblers, now stood out of use, but still furnished.

Nick and Jeff were the first to arrive - they had spent the previous night in Jeff's old bedroom at the Sterling house; they had found themselves sharing Jeff's old bed, this time with the full blessing of his parents. Standing alone at the foot of the main staircase, under the dome, they could not resist the temptation to climb them, and open the door to Room 36, their old home. It was completely unchanged - it looked as if they had just popped out to class. Nick was curious when Jeff headed to the closet; even more so when he got down on his hands and knees and lifted up a loose piece of the floor. He pulled out a yellowed piece of paper and handed it to his husband, who could only smile when he saw the heart drawn on it with an arrow running through it, and the words 'Jeff loves Nick' written on it. Then his eyes alighted on the date in the corner - 2010. He laughed, and pulled a pen out of his pocket. Turning it over, he wrote carefully on the back 'Nick married Jeff 2014' inside a similar heart. With a broad smile, he handed it back to a grinning Jeff, who placed it lovingly back where he had found it. They had their own small time capsule set up at Dalton.

They suddenly became aware that there was someone in the room next door. They left the room quietly and pushed the door to Room 35 slightly ajar. They knew who should be there, and to their delight, it was Trent; he was sitting on the bed, an arm round Rory's shoulders. He was telling him all about his former roommate, Mitchell. He had graduated at the same time as Wes, and had stayed in touch with Trent until the steroid scandal had become public knowledge. Since then, there had been nothing, not even a brief Christmas greeting.

"I don't blame Mitch," Trent was saying as Nick and Jeff arrived. "He had parents in high places, and knowing what their reaction would have been to having a son with a connection to such a tarnished group - he'd have been given no choice in the matter. Anyway, in my Junior year, I was given a freshman roommate - Seth. The two of us rubbed along together well enough; then he was removed at Hunter's orders to Thad's old single when I refused to take the steroids. He didn't want me to contaminate him. Hunter tried his best to have me evicted from this room, but I refused and they could do nothing about it. I have some bad memories from that time here; after I was forced out of the Warblers I would come up here whilst they were rehearsing and cry my heart out - but I was always sure to be ok again by the time they came back. Mostly though, things in this room were good…" He tailed off as he realised that Niff were standing in the doorway, both looking heartbroken at the idea that their friend had been crying here all that time. "Of course," he continued, on a happier note, "after it all came out, Sebastian moved in here for the rest of my senior year. He snores…" That caused the other three to laugh.

"That's true," said a voice, announcing to them all the arrival of Dave and Sebastian; the former was rewarded with a tap on the arm for his candour.

"I told Thad you'd be up here," said Sebastian. "He is ready to commence rehearsal shortly, but first of all he wants all of us to confirm exactly what we will be singing tonight, just so he knows what is what. Then he wants to rehearse our two songs for the main memorial, before a final run through for our finale tonight, which I still can't believe we are going to do…" The others all nodded, including Dave. He was taking part in it, and he had to admit that when he was first played the song, he had gasped in shock and surprise. They all proceeded down the stairs again and along the corridor with the murals, in the direction of the Senior Commons. Inside they found Ethan, Drew, Jasper, Brad, Beats and Flint - but no Thad.

"He had to pop along to the auditorium to check something," Drew volunteered. They all took a seat, Dave and Rory to one side, and waited for the new Head Warbler to return.

Thad stood alone on the stage in the deserted auditorium. He knew that in just a few hours time, the room would be filled with friends, all there to recall the life of Wes, his one true love. The empty room had given him a chance to hide something that he would need later in the day, out of sight from anyone but him. He shivered slightly as he thought of what lay ahead, then composed himself. Right now, he had a job to do.

The rehearsals ran well, apart that is from one major hitch. When Thad had told the other Warblers that they would be performing _Bye Bye Blackbird_ he had noticed their uneasiness at once. It had been the audition song that Wes intended to use that day; it contained his bird name; it was perfect - and oh, so very flawed. It needed a strong lead on vocals, and in the end, Nick had been chosen after Thad had declined the part himself. Nick had run over the song on a nightly basis ever since - he knew the notes, the lyrics, the tempo. He had even managed it in the Senior Commons. But once they had moved to the auditorium and he actually had to perform it there, the knowledge that he would have to sing it in front of an audience bigger than Jeff and Mike; of the Warblers; on stage, at Dalton - well, he just plain fell apart. It was all too much, and after a number of attempts had ended in tears, he gave up, and Jeff refused to let him try anymore. Thad had feared that this might happen, so he had learnt the part too - and thus he found himself upfront.

With the rest of the songs perfected, Thad sent them all off for lunch at 12.30. There was a virtual stampede in the direction of the dining hall, which had been opened specially by Principal Lefevre for the day. Thad however found himself walking in that direction at a far more sedate pace with an apologetic Nick, Jeff, Trent and Sebastian - both Dave and Rory had left about halfway through the practice. Thad had made a plan to meet David in the Senior Commons first, and the other four had decided that they would join him. None of them had seen David since the night of the wedding, and they all wanted to greet him. They saw him as they neared the door of the Senior Commons, walking towards them. What made them all stop and stare was the fact that he had someone with him. Someone that they all knew, but had not seen for so long…

It was Trent that broke the silence with one word - "Mitch!" Then he was running forward to throw his arms around his old roommate.

"Someone hasn't changed," said Mitchell, with a smile on his face.

"This is a surprise, Mitchell," said Thad, with the tiniest hint of cold steel in his tone. "Word had it that you disassociated yourself from us entirely after the emergence of the whole steroid affair."

"Guilty, but not out of choice. My parents told me that I had to, and it seemed like I had no other option at the time. I was called up before the dean at school, questioned about whether it was a new thing; they made me take drug tests… So I just forgot all about the good times; threw myself into my work. I heard about the trial, and I nearly came then, but in the end, I feared it was too late. That I had blown it and I would not be welcome. Then I got a call telling me that Wes was dead from a mutual friend of ours that had just finished his studies at M.I.T. Another ex-Warbler. As I was just telling David, he is already in the Senior Commons…"

With that, Mitch walked forward, and the others followed. The scene that awaited them all was surprising. There were three people sitting behind the council table, all wearing Dalton ties. "Oh, my, God!" said Jeff. Trent could only stare. As for Sebastian, the slightly uncomfortable look on his face that had developed on seeing Mitch increased.

"Ok," said Nick. "As the newest of all of you here - who are they?"

The oldest of the three men at the table laughed and smiled. "I could ask the same, but given that you are so close to the wonderful Jeff, you must be Nick. First Warblers to marry each other, to my knowledge. My name is Gabriel; the guy on my right is Connor; the one on my left is Louis. We were the council on the day in 2007 when a young freshman named Wes Montgomery walked in and blew us all away with his audition song. We all stayed in touch with him after we graduated, at first be E-mail and then Skype. We had a lot of long chats on Skype when the whole steroid affair first came to light, Wes and I. You all came to him for advice; and sometimes when he needed it, he came to me. If I didn't know what to do, then these two would enter the equation. We rarely met in person, even when we were both so close in Boston. I graduated from college this year, and was appointed to a very junior teaching post at Harvard about six months ago. Wes was, of course, away in New York by then. The whole business of the trial - it shock all three of us. When I heard exactly what had been done in this room…." he paused, and his eyes alighted on Nick, Jeff and Sebastian "by one Warbler to another - if he hadn't died, then I would have helped any of you in a plan to kill him. It was just after all of the details came out that Mitch called me up, feeling so guilty that he had not been there for you all. I had arranged to meet up with Wes on Sunday afternoon; I was going to talk to him about what Mitch would need to do to get back into your good books. I heard all about the accident, but didn't put all the pieces together until I was walking past the spot and saw half the Hasty Pudding Club there…. The Warblers have lost so much in the past year. I think that it is time for bygones to be bygones. If there is one thing that I am sure of, it is this - Wes would not have wanted there to be any grudges held amongst his boys…"

"He's right," said Thad, turning towards Mitch. "Wes would have forgiven you - we all know only too well how controlling our families can be over our lives. They seem to forget that we are adults now, and capable of making our own choices and our own mistakes. We try our best to please them, but sometimes it is better to rebel and say 'They are my friends and they need me.' I'm sure that had he still been here, Wes would have said more or less what I just have. Mitchell, there have been quite a few changes amongst us since you were last in touch. As Gabriel said, Nick and Jeff are married now, and are the Sterling-Duvals. Trent is engaged to a lovely Irishman by the name of Rory - he is here, and we will introduce you to him later. Wes made him an honorary Warbler too… Oh, and Sebastian has a boyfriend too - yeah, I was as shocked as you look when I heard that too." As a ripple of laughter rang out, Sebastian just shook his head. "Also, after all the chaos of the trial, it was decided that an alumni Head Warbler should be appointed. That was, of course, Wes. Now, he has passed the role to me. He appointed me as his successor by giving me the gavel. As you know…"

"Whoever holds the gavel is Head Warbler," said Mitch. "I just don't understand…"

"Why it isn't me?" said David. "Because Wes knew that I could not do the job without him to back me up, so he passed it on, with my blessing, to his boyfriend."

There was a moment of silence as David's words were digested; Mitch looked stunned; Louis and Connor looked upset. And as for Gabriel… "Ok you two, that's $50 each you owe me. I told you that Wes was gay on the day he auditioned, and you both said No Way! Money to charity, of course."

"Some things never change," sighed David. "Trent got $50 off four of us by betting that Nick and Jeff would get together before they left Dalton…"

Suddenly the room rang with laughter again, as almost everyone joined in. One person did not. He had to speak privately to two of the people in the room - and then introduce them to a third…

The whole group now made their way to the dining hall. Inside, lunch was in full swing in a room that seemed full of Dalton ties and even the odd blazer. As they walked in, David was the first to be spotted by his closest friends. Then Beats suddenly exclaimed "Mitchell!" Moments later there was a cry of "Louis? And, my God, Connor!" They both jumped out of their seats, along with Ethan and Drew, to warmly greet the three returnees that they knew, and to be introduced to Gabriel for the first time.

Trent made his way over to Rory, and pulled him out of his seat, dragging him over to Mitch. "Rory, my old roommate Mitch; Mitch, the love of my life, my fiancé, Rory," he said with a huge grin on his face.

"Hey, Rory, nice to meet you. So, our Trent managed to bag himself a gorgeous guy, who had better take good care of our Robin…" Trent gave Mitch a playful punch at that line; he had always been protective towards the younger boy, and Trent had missed him so much when he went incommunicado. Now he had him back in his life, he was determined to keep him around. Now, however, it was definitely time for lunch…

As Trent headed off to grab some food, with a blushing Rory right behind him, Sebastian walked towards Mitch, with Louis in tow, a determined look on his face. Mitch knew exactly what this was about. "So, Sebastian, is your boyfriend here?" he asked as the two walked up, "Or is it just us two, your ex-fuck buddies, that are here today?"

"He is here, and before you ask, he knows all about the two of you," hissed Sebastian. "How Louis was with you, but after two years of taking it, your straight side was becoming more dominant, and so you wanted it to stop. How you seduced me, then threw Louis into the mix, making me the one that took it instead. I have often wondered - what happened when I left? Did the two of you go back to your old arrangement?"

"Without you, dearest Seb," said Louis, "it all just fizzled out. I had decided that I was going to stop as my finals were coming up in any case; and Mitch had met a girl at Crawford County. After Dalton, I went to college, and met few guys there. Discovered I liked to take it sometimes too. Had two serious boyfriends; and second one and I are still together, both of us working in Philadelphia."

"As for me," said Mitchell, "I have a girlfriend that I love very much, and that I hope to marry in time - and before either of you ask, she is aware that I am bi, and has no problem with it, largely because she is too…"

At that point in the conversation a voice interrupted them. "Hey, Sebby, who are your friends?"

"These two guys are the ones that I told you about; my two 'friends' in my freshman year. The shorter guy on my left is Louis, who is now happily shacked up with his long term boyfriend in Philly; the guy to the right is Mitch, who now has a long term girlfriend. What can I say - after me, who comes close?"

Louis laughed out loud at that, whilst Mitch just rolled his eyes. "I take it that you are the man that managed to tame our Sebastian?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's me; and since he didn't bother to give you my name, I'm Dave Karofsky. I'd like to think that I helped him curb his wild ways and become a more rounded human being; but then again, I think that every guy he has ever slept with has left their mark upon him; all however many of us that has been…" Mitchell laughed first this time, as Sebastian just looked wounded. "Then again," continued Dave, "I was hardly a blushing virgin myself. Let's just say that both of us have lived, and now we have found the right person for us - because I love my meerkat more and more each day…"

"And I kind of like him too," said Sebastian, leaning in to give him a quick kiss. "So, lunch before there is no food left? We can share a table and the three of you can compare your experiences with the one and only me…" As the other three pondered if that was such a good idea, and more importantly, how he still had these moments of sheer gall, they headed off to find a table.

After lunch, Thad found himself alone with Principal Lefevre and her predecessor in her office. He had been inside this office only on a couple of occasions during his time as a student at Dalton; once when he had been attacked outside the school by a long forgotten assailant in his freshman year, and then again after the incident with Sebastian and the slushie. Now he stood there again, two years after he had left, back in the blazer. In the end, they had decided that wearing them again was a sort of tribute to Wes too. There was something unfamiliar poking out of his top pocket. He had placed it exactly where Wes had kept him; had even run a line of tiny stitches down the pocket, as Wes had done on his own blazer, to keep it firmly in place. That had been the first thing that Principal Carmichael had noticed when he had walked into the room. Thad was otherwise unaltered to his eyes; the same neat, tidy young man. And if he was honest, that worried him. He had always known that Thad was deeply in love with Wes, just as he had known that Jeff would end up with Nick in their sophomore year. So, given that David Thompson still looked as if the whole of his world had collapsed around him two weeks on, he had expected Thad to be an emotional wreck too. He resolved there and then that he would keep a close eye on him today - something was wrong. He looked far too calm and too content. After the memorials were finished, he would invite him to take coffee with himself and Mrs Carmichael, something that Wes had regularly done. If he couldn't get to the bottom of what was wrong with Thad Harwood, then she certainly would.

He had been so caught up with his concerns that he failed to notice that Principal Lefevre had begun to run through the order of the memorial with Thad. As well as the two songs from the alumni, the current group of Warblers would also be singing twice, once on their own, and once with the current New Directions - the bond between Dalton and McKinley had grown strong, and he was glad that his successor had encouraged it to do so. The New Directions alumni would also be singing. He himself would be making a speech, as would Burt Hummel and Will Schuester. For the boys, it had been decided that a speech would be made in which all of them present would say a few words; that one speech had been written by Trent, always the most literate of them. All, except David, who had declined, even though a part had been written for him; instead, Thad was now saying that Gabriel would read it; as it was the final part, he had also asked if he could add some words of his own at the end. Finally, there had been a last minute request to speak from Mrs Thompson - one that they would all be only too happy to grant. Thad left to tell her, and the two Principals began to prepare themselves for one of the toughest days they had ever faced at Dalton.


	51. Home

**Home**

At 2pm on the first Saturday in September, only days short of what would have been his 22nd birthday, the auditorium of Dalton Academy was almost full with people that had travelled from far and wide to remember the life of Wes Montgomery. Friends from both college and his Dalton days; the mothers of the vast majority of the Warblers; the New Directions, excluding of course, Rachel, who was watching nonetheless in her dressing room on Broadway, thanks to a video link set up by Artie. She had been upset at the prospect of missing the day, and being the only one to do so, and this had been a perfect solution. There were also some quite surprising people there; Carmen Tibideaux had arrived, wishing to pay tribute to the great talent that she had seen exhibited only hours before his death. To Mike's surprise, his parents had arrived. Mr and Mrs Chang explained it to him quite simply - Wes had stopped him from being bullied at summer camp, and had helped to create the young man, unafraid to show what he was truly good at, that they were so very proud of. It was his mother that spotted the Warbler pin; when Mike told them he had been made an honorary member of the group by Wes, they were even more proud of their son. The fact that Dave was wearing one went largely unnoticed, unlike Santana's, which caused gasps from some of the older former Warblers that were not in the close circle that had surrounded Wes. Much to her amusement, Santana even heard a couple of them debating which of their number had had a sex change…

Thad had been hastening towards the auditorium when he heard somebody calling out his name. He spun round, and was delighted to see Michelle hurrying towards him. Then his eyes caught sight of what she was holding in her hands. It couldn't be anything else. It was an urn. "I am so sorry that I am late," she said, as she came to stand right in front of him. "I realised that there was something, or rather, someone very important missing from this whole thing, so I brought him. Well, technically, I stole him from the crematorium and my aunt and uncle. If I had left him there with them, he would just have ended up languishing in the back of a cupboard, gathering dust. Even worse, it would probably have been at the crematorium, as they are always so busy, and I doubt they would be able to find the time to pick him up. So I took matters into my own hands…"

* * *

The previous day had been another difficult one in Boston. Michelle still felt so awful for Wes, for his friends - and had come to hate her aunt and uncle all the more, particularly after she had overheard a conversation between her aunt and her mother. Mrs Montgomery was angry - she had been unable to stop the memorial at Dalton; her lawyer had persuaded her not to threaten legal action. Her mother had asked if she had picked Wes up yet, and the reply had been terse, something about being too busy to do so, particularly as she had to find time to get to the beauty parlour before the party on Saturday night… Michelle had seen red at that. Her much loved cousin was stuck on a shelf in a crematorium, and all his mother could think about was her hair and nails! He wasn't going to end up sitting on a shelf in a dank cupboard when he had a group of loving friends that would be only too happy to see that he found a decent final resting place….

She had done her research; discovered that she could go and collect him anytime, day or night. Her parents had been going out for dinner that evening. She had told them that she was still too upset to join them, and they had believed her. The moment that they left, she was dressed and heading out in her own car to the facility. There, she got even luckier. The young man behind the collections counter was a good friend of hers from college. They had started to chat, and she decided that she would tell him the truth. So she told him all about Wes, his parents attitude towards him both in life and death, and how they had broken state law to hurry through his funeral so that none of his friends could attend. How, after all that, they now couldn't even be bothered to come and uplift him.

He was crying by the time she finished. He had merely walked out from behind the desk, and locked the door, placing a 'Back in ten minutes' sign on it. He had then motioned to her to follow him to the saddest room in the whole place; the repository for all those ashes that had not been claimed, sitting in plastic bags, in little card boxes. To her horror, Michelle had realised that this could be the eventual fate of Wes. That thought caused her to burst into tears, and she cried for a while, before it hit her all of a sudden. As long as the urn that they had chosen was there for them to uplift, then it didn't really matter whose ashes were in it. It seemed that was her friend's thinking too. They found an urn identical to the one that Wes was stored in, and took a dusty box at random from the back of a shelf; they poured its contents into the urn, and labelled it as Wes Montgomery - in time, Rusty Horowitz would be getting a new home with the Montgomery family…

With her friends good wishes in her ears, Michelle had driven to the airport, the urn containing her cousin's ashes on the seat beside her. She had bought a small bag at the airport so that she could carry him onto the plane - no way was he going in the hold. She had already booked a flight to head to the memorial, against her parent's wishes, but she had managed to find an earlier one. She had sat all the way to Columbus with Wes in her lap. She had been smiling all the way. After all, she was reuniting him with his family.

* * *

"So, her I am, with Wes. He is yours now, Thad; you and the Warblers can decide what happens to him now. He must have said something to you at some point that would indicate where he wished to be…"

"At Dalton. He always said that this place was his home, so yes, here at Dalton. We can bury him somewhere in the grounds, so that he will always be here. I will have to speak to the Principal after the memorial…." Thad glanced down at his watch, and gasped. Taking Wes carefully from Michelle, he turned to her and said, "Come on, we are late already. We'd best hurry up and get there, before a riot starts. Trust me, if we hold things up for too long, it will…"

Thad had been correct in his assertion that his late arrival would have provoked a near riot. As he walked down the central aisle of the auditorium, towards the stage at the front, he heard raised voices and even tutting from some of the assembled people, not to mention curiosity about the identity of the young woman at his side. By the time that he reached the front, however, where David sat with Mercedes at his side in the front row, the noise had begun to diminish, helped in part by the fact that Principal Carmichael had stood up and was glaring at those that were still conversing. With barely a glance towards the Warblers that sat in the front row, he escorted Michelle to the steps of the stage. He did hear a small gasp from Trent as he walked past him, and he laughed internally as he realised that he alone had spotted the urn, partially hidden as it was by his blazer. Then he was up on the stage with Michelle, heading straight to the lectern. Still concealing the urn under his blazer, he cleared his throat, and with the room falling silent, he began to speak.

"Principal Lefevre, Principal Carmichael, Ladies and Gentlemen, please forgive my tardiness. I was halted in my progress here by the young lady next to me. For those of you that do not know, this is Michelle Lau; she is the cousin of the man that we are here to honour today - our beloved Wes. She has come her today, against the express wishes of her family, to help us celebrate the life of the man we all loved. But she believed that our memorial was lacking one crucial thing. What is that, you ask?" He paused, scanning the people before him, and found Trent smiling at him, tears in his eyes. He grinned right back, and started again, ignoring the curious looks that his wide smile had attracted. "The one thing missing? At his funeral, all of us - his friends, his _real_ family were absent. At this memorial, his birth family, with one exception, are not here. And neither was Wes, of course - until now…"

With those words, he produced the urn, and stepped away from the lectern to place it reverentially below the large framed photograph of Wes that stood to one side of the stage. He returned to the lectern, conscious that David was now crying loudly, wrapped in Mercedes' arms; that Jeff was being held tightly by Nick as tears streamed down both their faces; indeed, that tears were flowing around the room. He stepped up again, and began to speak once more. "Wes loved this place. To him, Dalton was home. This was the only place, other than the Thompson's kitchen, that he had ever been shown true love and affection. So, it is only right and fitting that he should be brought here. For once, Wes has broken the rules, and run away without the permission of his parents. If what Michelle tells me is true, they may not even notice - and is that not a tragedy in itself? For that reason, he must remain here, where he will be cared for, loved and mourned. Now, we have delayed long enough, and anyone that knew Wes would tell you that he would not like that at all. He was always so strict on his timekeeping, as every former Warbler in this room could tell you. So, let us get under way…" With those words, he pulled Mr Bangy from his pocket, and brought the gavel down sharply on the lectern. That one gesture was more than enough to make the whole room smile; to make David stare up at him, and nod in approval. To get him a warm handshake from everyone on the stage. And most importantly of all, it got him a radiant smile from the newest of the four angels at the back of the room.

The memorial progressed as planned after that. After an opening speech from Principal Lefevre, they all sang the school hymn; a tradition from the past, but one which they all embraced. This lead on to the speeches proper. Principal Carmichael spoke about Wes' time at Dalton, and gave everyone some insights that even the closest of the Warblers to him had not known; then he had broken down in tears as he told the room how he had seen Wes as a son. He was comforted by his wife, who finished his speech for him. Then, the current generation of Warblers had sung _Yesterday._ Burt Hummel had then taken centre stage, as he talked about Wes the man; he talked lovingly of his compassion, his humanity, his modesty. He lamented on what Wes would have become had fate not intervened in the cruellest way. This view of his future was only reinforced by his college tutor, who announced that Harvard had decided to award Wes a First Class degree posthumously, based on his thesis. That was warmly received with a round of applause. The New Directions sung next, and had decided to reprise _Seasons of Love_ \- doing so brought back so many memories of Finn; of Kurt and Blaine, but it was the most fitting choice for the event. Then it was time for the alumni Warblers, his boys, to step up and sing for the room.

There had been much debate over what they should sing. They all wished to honour Wes and his memory; the debate centred between whether they should choose something overtly cheerful or stick with something downright dirge like. Voices had been raised from the various cameras they had been using on Skype; Thad had found that even Mr Bangy had no effect on them on this topic; it was only when Trent saw that Nick and Jeff had turned on each other, and actually screamed out loud at them all to shut the hell up that their was actually silence, apart from Nick and Jeff apologising to each other. "If we want to honour Wes, and his memory," Trent said, nearly in tears, "then all of this arguing and screaming is not the way to do it! We should sing a song that he liked, that isn't risqué, and shows off our vocal talents…" Again, there was total silence, broken only by the distant sound of whistling from the kitchen in L.A., as Mrs Thompson prepared supper. David's face suddenly lit up as he recognised the tune that she was humming, and he was transported back to a day over a decade ago, when he and Wes had been sat in the kitchen back in Ohio; the two of them laughing and smiling as they sang along to the radio playing the same song that his mother was whistling now…

" _Don't worry, be happy_ ," he said suddenly, earning him confused glances from the various cameras showing on his computer screen. "Wes loved that song. He always told me that he thought that it was how people should try and live…"

"It has multiple parts," said Trent from his sofa in Washington DC.

"It needs a beatboxer," came a pleased voice from Princeton.

"All kinds of vocal acrobatics involved, when you listen to it," said Ethan, Drew nodding his agreement from where he sat next to him.

"We could do it," said Jeff. "It isn't too happy…"

"But it isn't too sad either," said Nick, finishing his husband's sentence.

When Thad asked for a show of hands for David's suggestion, there was a completely unanimous vote of approval.

There choice did cause some raised eyebrows amongst the assembled mourners, but it did show off the vocal dexterity that Wes had instilled in them - and at the back of the room, the man himself wholeheartedly approved. Then came their own speech, written by Trent, with a little bit of help from Kurt and Blaine. It was a mixture of the sweet and the sad, both in perfect balance, ensuring that it did not cause too many tears, or bore the assembled audience too much. They talked about the Warblers, their time under his leadership, his emphasis on friendship rather than on ruthless, all out competition. They managed to raise a few smiles as well - the line "You gave us love and taught us loyalty; in return we gave you a serious headache every so often" was delivered so deadpan by Sebastian that half the audience burst out laughing. It was finished by words delivered by Gabriel, standing in for the reluctant David.

"Wes, we will miss you. To know that we will never be able to touch you again in the same way; to know that we will never see that smile, or hear you scold us lovingly when we mess up - it breaks our hearts. The most important lesson that we all learnt from you was how to be a brother to your fellow man. To place others before our own selfish needs and wants. You taught us that; you brought us together. In your memory, we all pledge here and now to stick together, to care for each other, and respect each other until the day that we die, and can be with you once again. Because we all loved you; and we honour you by loving each other."

There was silence then as the Warblers reassembled themselves on the stage for their final song, the one that Wes had planned to sing at his own audition on that fateful Sunday. When the first notes of _Bye Bye Blackbird_ were sung out, many in the audience did not get it - it was only afterwards, when Wes and his bird names were explained to them, that they realised the significance. It was, everyone said afterwards, the best ever performance given by Thad. For Puck and Quinn, sat next to each other in the throng, it was an immediate cause for concern. At the end, he stood there, dry eyed. Behind him, the others were in bits; they had seen how at the very end, hands were being held and tears were already falling; how when it had finished they had fallen on each other and sobbed. All, except Thad. It was almost as if they had never been together, had meant nothing to each other. They both realised at the same moment that something was wrong - and that Thad was on the verge of a total breakdown.

The Warblers' performance marked the end of the official memorial. As the invited guests made their way towards the doors, stopping on their way to talk to each other, the speakers and the Warblers, Sam had made his way to the back of the room with Rory, Mike, Dave and Santana, so that they, the named honorary Warblers, could talk to Wes and the other angels. They knew that the others would be occupied for some time yet by governors, parents and teachers, and somebody had to come and ask him the key question - what should they do now with the urn and its contents? It could not just sit like a trophy in the Senior Commons, much as some might like that notion. After all, the Warblers were teenage boys - they could be boisterous, and all it would take would be one unintended jostle, and there would be a heap of ash on the floor for them to deal with.

The same question it turned out had been bothering Wes himself. He was grateful to Michelle; so glad that she had liberated his earthly remains from the storeroom of a Boston crematorium, but what next? He did not relish the idea of being scattered on the winds in the grounds of Dalton, and being locked away in a cabinet inside the school would be little better than the situation that he had previously been in. No, they need to place him somewhere that his parents, if they ever found out, would not be able to retrieve him from easily, but where they could all come and visit him, if they felt so inclined. The room was almost empty by the time that Blaine made the casual remark that the urn looked so dull compared to Pavarotti's casket - and it promptly hit him and Kurt simultaneously. Kurt's poor bird lay in a spot on Dalton's grounds with a beautiful view. It was far enough from the school buildings to be private, but was nonetheless easy to find. It would therefore be the perfect spot to inter the remains of the Head Warbler, if he did not mind sharing the spot with the remains of a tiny caged bird…

Not all of the assembled Warblers and New Directions made their way to the spot under the tree half an hour later. The majority of the younger generation stayed at the school, although Colin, Edward, Seth and Skylar did join the procession. The path was too rough and steep for Artie to be wheeled comfortably, so Puck carried him whilst Sam followed on, carrying his chair. The two Principals, Mrs Carmichael, Burt, Carole, Cooper and Grace came with them, as did Michelle and Mrs Thompson. The latter lady recalled Wes' cousin from a childhood visit, and on discovering that she had nowhere to stay that night, had offered to accommodate her. She had accepted the invite with no qualms, knowing her cousin's opinion of the lady. They were guided to the spot by two angels; Finn and Wes came at their heels. Not everyone there could see them, but that did not matter. The spot where a bird had been buried by two boys, newly together, was greener now in the late summer, and if anything was even more beautiful. They all remarked on that as they got to work with spades brought from the groundskeeper's hut. A turf was removed first from a spot that was close to where the other casket lay, and then a deep hole dug underneath. They did not dig down the six feet that would be required for a coffin, but they dug deep enough to ensure that it would be difficult for anyone, animal or man, to unearth.

Before the box was placed in the hole, Sebastian called a halt to proceedings. He removed his blazer, buttoned it back up, and placed it carefully in the bottom of the hole with the words "He needs a shroud, and what would be better than this?" The others all had to agree, and David broke away from Mercedes to pull Sebastian into a deep hug for having thought of it. In the end, it fell to Principal Lefevre to kneel down and place the urn carefully on the blazer, and then wrap it up within the folds of fabric. None of the boys had felt capable of doing it, as it had a sense of finality about it that they still were not entirely prepared to accept.

As she did so, Burt spoke; "Lord, we lay to rest here today the mortal remains of your humble servant Wesley Montgomery. He was a young man of integrity, decency and great strength. Look after him as he looked after all of his friends here below. We hope to join him in your kingdom in our time; until then, grant us all the privilege of his love and yours, to guide us through life. Amen." As his final word was repeated, Puck lifted the first shovel full of earth back into the hole; as each successive spadeful was placed in the hole, tears began to be shed - of loss, but also of joy. At least now his remains were somewhere that he had loved, and wished to be.

The hole filled, they all began to make their way back to the school, the Warblers all walking arm in arm - but Thad lingered for a moment. David had considered stopping with him, but Mercedes had shaken her head at him, and helped him away. Thad stood and silently looked at the spot, now marked only by the tree and a slightly raised piece of turf. They would have to get some kind of permanent marker for him. In the meantime, Thad just stood and stared out at the landscape beyond the tree, where the ground fell away and the vista went on for miles. It was a beautiful spot - he could see clearly now why Blaine had brought Kurt here to bury Pavarotti. That poor bird's death had been the thing that had made them the Klaine that they had all hoped for and loved so dearly. Now the same spot would mark the final resting place of a Warbler who would never be forgotten by anyone who had had the good fortune to have known him.

"I like it here," said a voice behind him, startling Thad from his reverie. He turned with a smile to face Wes. "Do you know, I had no idea that such a beautiful spot lay on the Dalton grounds. Then again, I never was one for exploring the grounds too well. I was always so busy with my coursework…"

"I want to be brought here too, when I die Wes. I want to be laid to rest with you by my side, if that is what you would like…"

"I wouldn't want it any other way, my love. But just us two; none of the others, not even David. Make sure that when you get me a stone, and don't deny that you are intending to, that you get one with space for your name on it. We might be apart in life, but we will be together in death…."

Thad nodded, and sighed. It was time to return to the school, for the final memorial. He turned away from the grave, and with Wes at his side, began a slow walk back towards the familiar buildings.


	52. A Warbler Send Off

_So, publication back on schedule more or less...  
For information, the version of Bye Bye Blackbird that I was inspired by was that used in the film The History Boys. You can find it on Youtube by searching History Boys Soundtrack - it is sung by a young actor by the name of Samuel Barnett, and was posted by Douglas Latto.  
Mr Barnett might also sing Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered on the same soundtrack... Let me know what you think!  
_

 **A Warbler Send Off**

As Wes and Thad walked back towards the school, and the majority of the group returned to the auditorium to prepare for the second, more personal, memorial, Mrs Carmichael had taken Sebastian to one side and asked him to follow her. She had access to Dalton's uniform store, and she was sure that there would be a new blazer in his size, not to mention a Warbler pin. He had not unfastened his before he had placed his blazer in the hole. Sure enough, there was indeed one that fitted him perfectly; it had actually been ordered for him in his senior year - Hunter had demanded that new blazers be provided for all the Warblers after their victory at Sectionals. They were to be worn at Regionals, a performance which, of course, they had never given. Thus there were blazers labelled for Nick and Jeff as well, not to mention one's that Colin, Edward and Seth would no longer fit into. She had destroyed only one of them… As she handed Sebastian a new pin, it finally dawned on him where his own now was. He sniffed slightly at the thought, but refused to cry. He thanked her, and turned to go, but he stopped as she began to speak.

"You have come a very long way, Sebastian. I used to sit and listen to my husband sigh over your behaviour at dinner each night. He knew all about your relationship with Louis and Mitchell…" she paused as Sebastian turned bright red… "and when you left for Paris, he was relieved in some ways; in others, he wasn't. He could see then that you were lost, and needed a steady hand to guide you. Needed to have responsibility to become a better man. That was the reason that he approved your role in the Warblers in your junior year; and when it backfired… well he was all set to expel you. That was, until Wes persuaded him not to, and to give you one final chance. So he did, and well, it turned out that Wes was right. You have become a fine young man, someone that puts the needs of others first; a credit to Dalton Academy." She noticed then that Sebastian had now started to cry, and she walked over and wrapped an arm around him.

"He came back, after the slushie and really let me have it; gave it to me with both barrels. Told me I was a disgrace to humanity; not fit to be a Warbler; not worthy of Dalton. I thought that he hated me, and deep down, I knew that he was right to. I had no idea that he was sticking up for me in private…"

"And if he hadn't died, then the chances are that you would never have found out. That was Wes - he did a lot behind the scenes that people never knew about. He was one of the best people that I ever had the privilege to know. He used to come and have tea with me at least once a week for nearly the entire time he was here; he even sent us birthday and anniversary cards. He wasn't Jamie….but he was like a son to us…"

"Well, you do realise that there is a room full of Warblers that hold you and Principal Carmichael in high respect in the school right now? That love you just as much as Wes did? And we would all love to come to tea sometime…." With those words, Sebastian pulled Mrs Carmichael into a hug. He had to admit to himself that finding out that Wes had always had his back made him feel so lucky and happy.

Sebastian and Mrs Carmichael arrived back in the auditorium at the same time as Thad. They all took their places, which meant in Thad's case mounting the steps to the stage once again. "Ladies and Gentleman - or should I just say close friends of Wes, because that is what we all are, those of us that are assembled here now… Anyway, before we come to the singing, because let's face it, that is what we do best, I have a couple of pleasant duties to perform on behalf of Wes. The first thing to say is that Wes left a will; he had after all come into a not inconsiderable amount of money, from one source or another, this year. The total value of his estate was somewhere in the region of $10,000,000. It has been approved by a lawyer, and a final confirmation of it will be made on Monday. I have been granted permission to reveal a few of the items that it contained now. Wes, as we all know, was always concerned to give everybody as equal a playing field as possible. To that end, he has left the sum of $500,000 each to six individuals that, as he put it himself, missed out. They are here now, and they missed out when Blaine died. I am talking about Beats, Flint, Ethan, Drew, Jasper and Brad." As he finished those words, he looked up to see the six young men in question staring back at him open mouthed. "As he said, you were not on Blaine's list; now, you will have some cash to play with like your cohorts. He also left the sum of $200,000 to each of the 15 current Warblers." Once again he paused as gasps rang out from around the room - indeed, Edward had to grab Colin as he passed out in shock. "The entire remainder of his estate is to be split 50/50 between the scholarship funds at Dalton and NYADA, in each case to be used specifically to support those with a vocal talent."

"My second task is to hand out two more Warbler pins to the final two people that Wes chose to appoint as honorary Warblers when he knew that he was going to die. We all already know that he appointed Dave Karofsky, Mike Chang and Santana Lopez, our first ever female Warbler, to that position. I have two final envelopes here with badges in them; he also states that he agonised over the last two choices as there were so many deserving people. In the end, he chose these two, but left me a list of people to consider for the future. So, without any more prevarication, I will name the fourth person on the list. Best known by part of his surname…yeah, massive clue…Mr Noah Puckerman. So, Puck, please join me on stage." Thad watched as the man in question made his way slowly to the stage, noting that there was a hint of moisture in his eyes; he came to stand by his side. Thad handed him the envelope, which he opened and removed the note; he handed it back to Thad to allow him to remove the pin, which he pinned carefully to the lapel of his jacket. Puck allowed himself to smile, and then, after quickly scanning the note, turned to face the audience.

"Can I just start by saying that this pin means more to me than any military medal I will ever receive, because this comes with a lot of love behind it. Anyway, I am so proud to be a Warbler - and I am going to share with you all what Wes wrote…. _Noah, or Puck, or Eagle to give you your bird name - finally I get to welcome someone that flies in life to the Warblers. You were a true friend to Kurt first, and then to Blaine; then to every single one of us. Never change your character. Always fight for what you believe in. You are a good friend to have, and I am proud to have fought a common enemy with you at my side. I know that you, and Quinn, are going to have a bright future. I will miss you_. _Your friend, Wes._ He was the best friend to have. I am going to treasure this forever. Once a Warbler, always a Warbler. I am so proud to be one of you…."

With that, Puck left the stage to applause and a standing ovation from his new Warbler brothers and sister. As he walked past them, he was offered high fives and back slaps. When he finally got back to his spot, it was to be given a warm embrace by Quinn. Once the noise died down, Thad spoke again. "And so, finally to number five. A brother. Maybe a brother-in-law one day. I am talking, as no doubt Nick has guessed, about Cooper Hummel-Warbler; brother of Blaine, our mush loved lead soloist in Wes' year as Head of Council. A man that changed his ways, and his name in memory of his brother and the choir that he loved. So, Coop, future star of Broadway, please take now to the Dalton stage. Cooper stumbled up on to the stage, already in tears, to receive his pin and his note from Thad. His note, which he asked Thad to read out, said _Cooper - or Owl as I will now refer to you, you changed your life and gave everything up to try and save your brother. You couldn't, and so you decided that the best way to continue was to live in a way that honoured his memory. Now you are about to take his spot on Broadway; he is so proud of you, as we all are. You have a great wisdom, and a big heart, which I first saw on the day you brought Blaine to Dalton, and left him in my care. Take your gifts, and this pin as your reward; that and the hand of the woman that you love. All the best, Owl, Wes. P.S. Do not delay too long and miss out! She will say yes, and Nick won't kill you…_

After Cooper had returned to the audience, Thad took a deep breath and crossed his fingers. He hoped that everything that they had planned would go well this evening. "Now, having performed my duties for Wes, it is time for me to hand you over to the group of young men that were his Warblers, and their friends. Given how scattered we all are now across the country, we did not have time for lengthy rehearsals, and so there will be an absence of the group numbers for which we are famed. Instead, we offer in tribute to Wes a series of solo, or small group numbers, all with one important thing in common - they are, as Wes requested, designed to make you laugh. You see, Wes was a lot like Blaine when it comes down to it - he did not want people to be miserable and depressed at his funeral. He wanted all of us to smile. In his days in charge here at Dalton, the Warblers had regular film nights, and if Wes was left to choose, we never had a thriller. Yes, comedy was king, and the zanier, the better. If it was British, then it made his day - I think everyone knows about his obsession with the works of Monty Python - and every time he had the chance, he would ask Nick to say…

"He's not the Messiah! He's a very naughty boy."

The disembodied voice from the wings set them all laughing. "Well," said Thad, "that's a good start. So friends, sit back and listen as the Warblers bring to you a catalogue of very unexpected songs…"

As Thad walked off, the curtains that had concealed the bulk of the stage parted, and as the music began, a spotlight shone on someone in a black leather biker's jacket, with coiffed hair, removing a pair of raybans; then Sebastian spun round, and began to sing _Dentist!_ from _Little Shop of Horrors_. Santana had to ask Quinn to help her restrain Brittany when he sang the line about bashing in a cat's head; but then as Nick, Jeff and Trent camped it up as his backing singers, the blond girl began to laugh as hard as the rest of them.

"Appropriate song choice for the old Sebastian," remarked Puck, "but now, far less so…"

At the end of the song, they all applauded loudly, and three young men ran off, leaving Trent alone. No-one had even noticed Beats taking a seat at the piano; he had been sent the sheet music by Trent via an attachment, and the pair had practiced over Skype. As a result, Trent's rendition of the old classic, _The Bee Song_ was spot on. Everyone agreed that it was the perfect song for the boy in question, and he received warm applause as he bowed and left the stage. Beats remained seated at the piano for the next performance.

When this came there was another shock. They were confronted by the head and shoulders of Ethan, the rest of his body blocked out by a black wall. He appeared to be trapped in a gilded cage. Suddenly, a jaunty tune began, and Ethan began to sing in a strange voice, taking on the part of Tweetie Pie in _I taut I taw a Pooty Cat_. From the moment he opened his mouth, people started to laugh, not just at the accuracy of his voice, but also at the facial expressions, and the fact that he was using his hands as wings. They all knew what to expect when Drew appeared, in the role of Sylvester; he had two cut out cat's ears mounted on his head, and a fine set of whiskers on his face. When at the end of his first stanza, he spun round to reveal a tail sticking out from under his blazer, the whole room erupted in laughter. No-one laughed more than Wes and the other three angels that were now standing at the back. Wes was actually quite shocked at just how far these two boys had gone. And then, just when they all felt they had gone as far as they could, Carole appeared on the stage with a broom, and brought it down sharply on Drew's back as he was about to pounce on Ethan, according to the song. As Burt laughed his head off at the expression on Carole's face, she took a quick bow and walked off again. The song ended of course with the two of them singing together, and then they exited stage right, dancing and bowing to the music that everyone felt should have the words 'That's all folks' said over it. The two young men were forced back on stage to take their well deserved standing ovation by Thad, both of them beaming in pride at having delivered so well for Wes.

The stage was then taken by Flint. He stood there, looking worried, something that Wes picked up on right away. "He is nervous about something… I doubt that it is his voice, because it is good, and I know that he has sung a couple of solo parts in the choir at Princeton, so it must be his choice of song."

Before Kurt, Blaine or Finn could respond to him, the young man himself finally spoke. "When Thad challenged us all to find a song to sing here today, I had to admit that at first I found it hard to think of one that would completely fit the bill. A lot of the best funny songs didn't fit, or by the time that I came to choose them, I discovered that somebody else had beaten me to it. So I was forced to widen my search. Quite by chance, I came across the one that I am going to sing for you all now. Is it funny? I think so, and so did Beats. Is it appropriate? Well, I am pretty sure that Wes would have laughed at it - but it might be just a bit more risqué than normal. In fact, I would probably be expelled for singing it if I was still a student here, but I am not, so - here goes…"

Beats played a light intro, and Flint launched into his song; a song that left most of them speechless after the first line. The song in question was called _Perky Little Pornstar -_ the moment that he sung that word for the first time, mouths dropped open and eyes bulged. It was such a shock to the system that Santana couldn't even utter the word wanky. As the song went on, and Flint's facial expressions changed as the words got more explicit, she and Sebastian were the first to laugh. By the halfway point, his innocent face had them all laughing in spite of themselves. As for Wes, he had begun with a smile, which turned into a grin, and then he was laughing out loud, Blaine joined him, as did Kurt eventually. Finn however seemed to be in a permanent state of shock. As Flint finished, he got a round of applause, Wes being amongst the loudest, even cheering him. When it stopped, he turned to Finn and whispered, "Look on the bright side - that song I believe comes from a show called _Naked Boys Singing_. At least he didn't do it in costume…"

Then the familiar figure of Thad returned to the stage. "Well, what can I say, Flint? That was different. But yes, I think Wes liked it… Anyway, after sinking to the depths, it is now time for a bit of culture. A classic brought to us all the way from Paris by the one Warbler that has actually lived there. Medames et Messieurs, I give you the one, and thankfully, the only, Mr Sebastian Smythe…"

Once more the spotlight fell on Sebastian, now dressed in his uniform once more, his hair back to it's normal style. As the music began, once again jaws dropped. Mercedes whispered "Hell to the No!" and the others just stared, with a few exceptions - those that had heard him sing this before. He nailed it once again, as those that had been with him in Paris in June knew that he could. He was not a little sparrow; he was a Cardinal to Wes, but he sang _Non, Je ne Regrette Rein_ perfectly. Wes could feel tears in his eyes; could see them in the eyes of a shell shocked Kurt and Blaine. He had never felt more proud of Sebastian as he watched him enchant the entire room - he deserved his placed at NYADA, not just for his flawless voice, but for the facial expressions that made his rendition so powerful. It was no wonder then that at the end he received a lengthy standing ovation, with no-one staying seated.

Sebastian took a bow, and made his way to the microphone. When the applause finally died down, he spoke. "Thank you. I know that Wes would approve of my choice - a classic, known throughout the world, and sung by a woman with a bird nickname - so, a definite win! But that was not the only song I learnt to sing in Paris. This one is totally different…" A jazzy tune suddenly started up, and Sebastian began to nod his head in time with the music, his body beginning to move with it too. He then began to sing _Ca Plan Pour Moi_ by Plastic Bertrand. The speed of the words left his audience breathless; he dived about the stage, running from side to side, fitting the line 'Je suis un flash' perfectly. He was accompanied by two other voices, eventually revealed to be Nick and Jeff; they also happened to be bouncing up and down on a trampoline as they sang. If the song's pace had not made them all smile, then the sight of those two bouncing up and down certainly made them all laugh out loud.

Sebastian was followed by the younger Warblers singing _Mean Green Mother from Outer Space,_ again from _Little Shop of Horrors_. It was an opportunity for Jasper to belt out a solo, with strong backing from Brad. The younger boys had felt such a sense of pride when Thad had asked them to contribute; and so it was that after the first song, Jasper and Brad stepped to one side, and allowed the current generation of Warblers to perform alone. They showed off what they could do with a rendition of _Consider Yourself_ from _Oliver!_ Colin took on the role of the Artful Dodger, whilst the newer talent, and future replacement as lead soloist, Skylar, took the titular role. It was the first time that most of those gathered in the room had heard his voice and they all had to agree that he was good - indeed, he could have given Blaine a run for his money. The New Directions would have to watch out for themselves in future competitions, there was no doubt about that.

Then it was the turn of Nick to sing his solo piece. He had chosen a song that not only allowed him to show off his vocal talents, but also the fact that he was particularly fluent in German. He sang _Der Guten Tag Hop Clop_ from _The Producers_. The fact that he did so wearing something that was very close to lederhosen made mouths drop open; when he was joined on stage by Sam and Puck, aping his moves, the laughter began. The smart comments from Puck, and the moments when deliberate missteps meant that hands flew in the wrong direction and hit out reduced them all to hysterics, not least because of the almost maniacal look on Nick's face as he sang. At the end the applause was warm, and they all had to agree that it was one of the funniest things they had ever seen.

As Nick went off, bowing, Jeff walked on - and no-one could miss his eyes lingering on his rear view of his husband. After a moment, he stepped up to the mike, and spoke. "Well, it is finally my turn to sing for you all. I don't resent the fact that I have been left to last at all - after all, don't they say that you save the best 'til last…?"

"Cheeky devil!" came Sebastian's voice from off stage, getting a loud laugh from around the room.

Jeff merely smiled all the wider, and then continued. "I had absolutely no idea what to sing when I was asked to do this. I racked my brain, and I just could not think of anything! So, I turned to Google, and entered one word; a word which summed up what I always felt when Wes was around. And up popped this little song…" He nodded, and music began - and Jeff sang _Happiness_ , a song made famous in the 1960s by the British comedian Ken Dodd. It was a cheerful little number, and new to all of them, even Nick. Jeff had practiced it in a quiet little room at the Art School so as to ensure that even he knew nothing. They all fell in love with it. It also seemed to sum up how Jeff had always been before everything that had happened; when he had seen happiness everywhere, as the song said. Only a blind person could have failed to notice the way that his eyes were constantly drawn to Nick as he sang; and that every time Nick smiled at him, Jeff's own smile grew all the wider. At the end of the song, he took a bow to rapturous applause.

Through it all they had been watched from the back of the room by a group of four angels, all of whom had grown happier as the show went on. Wes had not been looking forward to this afternoon at all, if he was entirely honest. He knew that it had to happen, to celebrate his life, and give people the chance to achieve a certain amount of closure. He knew that his boys would do their very best to ensure that the day was a celebration, but he had a niggling feeling that there was something very wrong about the whole day. He had laughed along with everyone else at their antics, but he couldn't help but feel that the atmosphere was almost too happy. That it was all a cover for something far darker. Now, he did feel quite cheerful, and seeing the smiling faces of everyone else was a big part of that. He regretted that today would probably be the last time that they were all together like this - until the next death came along and forced them to mourn in one place. He couldn't help but look at all of them gathered there and ask himself - which one of you is next? And although he immediately hated himself for it, a large part of him hoped that it would be Thad… he had confessed his feeling to Kurt, and had expected a ticking off, but he had got understanding instead. It turned out that in the week between his death and his funeral, Kurt had hoped that Blaine would die soon too. Nevertheless, sympathy for such feelings did not make them right, and as the young man in question made his way back to the microphone, he hoped that he would live a long time yet.

"So, the time has almost come for us to end this, our personal tribute to The Head Warbler, Wes Montgomery. I think that you all know how dear he was to each of us, and in particular to me and to David. He was a best friend, a source of advice and a veritable fount of knowledge on most things, from music through to law and the constitution, via such varied topics as British satire and State Birds of the USA and the world. We, the Warblers, loved him, and he in return loved us. We were his flock. All birds of a different feather, but united under him, our Blackbird. As well as this day of song, those of us that were closest to him have paid tribute to him in a different way…" Thad paused, and removed his blazer, before rolling up the sleeve of his shirt to the very top, to reveal his tattoo. There was a gasp from the crowd, probably Mrs Carmichael, he guessed, but he just smiled at it. He also smiled as he saw all of the younger people making an exit. "It might not be the done thing here at Dalton, but it seemed right and fitting to us to mark ourselves with the names that he so carefully chose for us. Through these tattoos, we show that we are still his Warblers, and will remain so for the rest of our lives. Now, I can imagine that some of you are thinking - how can the show be over, if Thad has not sung himself? Well, seeing as I am better than Jeff - only joking, Blondie - I have been left until last. But I will not be singing this one alone. It is one of Wes' favourite songs. He used to say to me privately that he longed to perform it with the Warblers, but he was positive that if he did, Principal Carmichael would expel him on the spot - and probably most of the rest of us too. Well, we can't be expelled now; so this one Wes is for you. What is the song? Well, let me put it like this…."

With those words, Thad launched into a performance of the Monty Python song _Every Sperm is Sacred_. Principal Carmichael burst out laughing, but both his wife and his successor looked shocked. David, who had sat quietly at Mercedes side for most of the show, buried his face in his hands as he realised what the song was; this prompted her to regard him curiously, until Thad sang the word sperm for the first time, and then she got why he looked the way he did. When the younger Warblers appeared to sing the first group section, promptly followed by a solo from Colin, more eyebrows were raised. And on it went - Sebastian sang the next solo part, and at its conclusion, the rest of the alumni skipped on from one side, and where followed by Santana, Quinn and Kitty from the other side. By the end, most of the New Directions were on stage with the Warblers; there had even been energetic dancing, lead by Rory and Brittany.

Then, as the song reached its climax, Thad stepped off the stage and held out his hand to David, motioning for him to join them. He still resisted, until Mercedes pushed him out of his seat, and then he had no option but to allow himself to be dragged onto the stage; and once up there, were he could see Wes smiling broadly from the back of the room, he couldn't resist joining in. He could see so much going on in the depleted audience - was Emma Schuester really singing along word for word, much to her husband's complete shock? Certainly, Wes was singing along with gusto, as indeed was Blaine - he wasn't so sure about Kurt and Finn. The sight of his best friend singing along left David confused. He was happy that Wes appeared so ok, but his own heart was still heavy. Still, as Wes kept reminding him, he had Mercedes now, and she was so wise. He had to start living again, for the sake of Wes; for himself; and for the woman he loved. It would be hard, but that was what he intended to do, starting now.

And then it was all over. There were handshakes and hugs. Kind words and sympathy. Four angels took their leave and returned to Elizabeth. People left, taking time to pat the performers on the back; to congratulate Thad on his orchestration. He was invited to take coffee with the Carmichaels, and he agreed. He told David to take the other Warblers to the Senior Commons and wait for him there. And then, he had the auditorium to himself once again.

He had pulled it off. He had delivered a fitting tribute to the man he loved.

He had nothing left to do.

It was all over.

'Yes, it is all over,' thought Thad, as he sat alone in the auditorium. 'All over, bar my final act.'

In his hands he held the item he had hidden in the room earlier that day. The sharp paper knife he had brought from Wes' apartment.

He was about to use it on something that was not paper…


	53. Nightmare

**Nightmare**

In Elizabeth Hummel's office, coffee was being served to four angels. Although technically only one of them was in fact her son, she saw all of them as something akin to that. Blaine was her son-in-law; Finn was almost her stepson; and Wes, well he was the son that every mother dreamed of having - polite, intelligent and well kempt. But today, as the latter sat in front of her, she could see that he was pre-occupied. His memorials had been a lot for him to go through, she surmised. It can't be easy watching all your friends saying how wonderful you are twice in one day. But… this was different. He was very restless, shifting around in his seat, his coffee untouched. Kurt had made cookies, as always; he had made sure to make a batch of Wes' favourite - normally, he would have wolfed them down, but today they sat uneaten and untouched on the plate. As she looked at him closer, she noticed that he seemed to be getting worse. He had started to sweat profusely in a room that she kept chilled to a comfortable temperature. His hands had started to shake; his eyes were wide, but unfocused. Something was bothering him. She had seen it before, in other angels. He might not even be aware of what it was exactly, but there was something that was bothering him, sending all his synapses into overdrive. He might work it out for himself, or it might just pass…

The other three did not seem to have noticed his discomfort. Then suddenly, without warning, Wes jumped up, knocking his coffee cup to the floor in the process. His eyes were now wide open, but focused, and whatever he was seeing had turned his face into a portrait of misery, and betrayal. He could barely catch a breath, and his body had now gone rigid and still. Kurt and Blaine were trying to speak to him, but he was not hearing them, the words not getting through. Wes was somewhere else, Elizabeth realised, and by the look on his face, he was seeing something that was the stuff of his worst nightmares. Suddenly, he found his voice, and spoke haltingly, in anguish. "Not on the list! He won't come! Stop! Stop! Stop!" The other three angels in the room stared at him, and then turned to Elizabeth. She said nothing as Wes suddenly darted out of the room at full tilt. Blaine jumped up as if to follow him, but Elizabeth stopped him. Those few words had told her everything that she needed to know. Only Wes could stop what was happening. He and he alone had that power. She refused to tell his three anxious companions anymore. She just prayed silently that Wes would be in time. If he wasn't, then everything would be ripped apart, in earth and in heaven. That was something that she did not wish to contemplate.

Wes flew down the corridor, unsure of what to do. He had to cross over, but exactly how to do it - well he still wasn't so hot on that process. It came to him in a flash of inspiration - if he made his way to the same point here, then he should be able to slip through. He dashed along passageways, wishing that he had been closer. He was only slightly aware that as he ran, tears were streaming down his face. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the doors to the auditorium at their Dalton. He dashed in, hoping beyond hope that this worked, and that he wasn't too late. Then again, if he was, he knew exactly what he himself would do…

* * *

In the Senior Commons, the noise level was building. David had seated himself out of habit at the council table, and he had to admit he found it very odd to be sitting there without Wes and Thad. True, he had Mercedes on one side, and Trent on the other, but as he looked out at the familiar faces of his fellow Warblers, all of them sat by habit in their usual spots - it just felt strange. The fact that the New Directions were sat amongst them made it stranger still. And yet, even now, it felt like he was sitting amongst his brothers, just as it always had. He was loved here. He had even enjoyed his brief moment of song at the end. Maybe he could sing, at least in the company of these people, his oldest and best friends. It felt safe here; it felt good. The door opened, and he looked up, in expectation of Thad. When he saw that it was Principal Carmichael, he felt his heart drop, and he didn't know why.

When Aaron Carmichael entered the room, his eyes immediately began to scan it, looking for one young man in particular. He was surprised to see that he wasn't there. "Hello boys. I was looking for Mr Harwood. We had an arrangement to meet for coffee and a chat."

There was a moment of silence in the room, and then Flint laughed. "We know that you do. He told us that you were meeting in the auditorium about ten minutes ago, and that we should all come on in here in the meantime and wait for him. Then we were all going to go out and drink a toast to Wes at… the Lima Bean." Flint had paused for a moment, as he realised that telling him they were going to drink their toast at Scandals might not be a good idea…

Principal Carmichael frowned at them. "No, that wasn't what we arranged. I suggested that we should have the meeting, and he said that we should meet here now. He told me that he needed to speak to all of you first…"

There was a confused silence in the room again. It was Ethan that broke it this time. "Why would he tell us two different stories? Why would Thad want to avoid all of us?" That comment provoked a murmur of hushed conversation around the room. Everybody was talking, apart from one person. One person for whom the pieces of the puzzle had just neatly slotted together…

Nick had given up the lead on _Bye Bye Blackbird_ because he could not bring himself to sing the words. He knew that the song had a long heritage, and had been sung in its time by many of the greats. But the very title of the song made him feel miserable, and in the end, he had no choice but to turn it down, even though he knew that doing so would throw the whole memorial into chaos. When Thad had said that he would sing it, he was relieved…

But now, it had struck him. If the words of the song had troubled him so much, then surely they should have been so much worse for Thad. He had to be a very good actor to have carried that song, and he had sung it flawlessly. He had not been left in tears by it, like every other boy on the stage behind him. Nick had thought at the time that Thad's performance had been nothing short of magnificent - his best ever performance. Now he had vanished; he had lied to them all. To be alone. To be free to do something too terrible for Nick even to contemplate? Yes, that was exactly what he was doing - and worse still, he had told them all what he was intending on the stage…

"The song!" Nick exclaimed, getting the attention of everyone in the room, their own conversations stopping. "I didn't see it until now, but it is so clear! The words… _Pack up all my care and woe, here I go, singing low… Where somebody waits for me, sugar's sweet, so is he… No-one here can love or understand me…_ don't you all see? I hope that I am wrong, I really, really do, but I think that Thad is going to…"

He said nothing more, and there was silence as the room contemplated his outburst. Nick had become frantic, and Jeff found that he could not soothe him. He looked right across the room at David, and could see him doing the math in his head. Then David let out a low moan. "No, No, NO!" he said, as he jumped up from the table, knocking his chair over in the process. He ran out of the room, and as he disappeared down the corridor, they all suddenly heard him scream out "Thaddie! Thad! Thaddie!"

Moments later, Nick was up and hot on his heels, joining in with the shouts of his name. That was the start of the exodus; Jeff was first up to follow his husband, Beats and Sebastian right behind him. As the rest of the Warblers ran out the door, Trent alone paused. He turned to his fiancé, and said "I love you Rory" before he too raced out of the door. Principal Carmichael looked at the depleted room, and sat down heavily on one of the sofas, bursting into tears as he did so.

"What the heck is going on?" said Tina, as the rest of the room stood or sat in horrified silence.

Artie had wheeled himself over to sit by Rory, who had also burst into tears. It was the latter boy that spoke, in a broken voice. "It's Thad. They think - and Nick was right, the song is such a huge clue to what he was contemplating - they think that Thad is trying to go to Wes. They think that he is killing himself right now. And if he does - then I think it might just push all of them over the edge…"

* * *

For Thad, Principal Carmichael's invitation to coffee and a private chat had been an unexpected but welcome blessing. He had been wondering how he could shake off the other Warblers for most of the day; if he was completely honest, he had been trying to figure out how he was going to do it since that fateful Monday. Things had just kept dropping into his lap, as if the whole thing had been sanctioned by the gods. David had told him to stay on the east coast, which had allowed him to spend a lot of time at Dalton, and find the perfect hiding place in the auditorium for the paper knife - and the fact that it had been lying out in Wes' room had also, he supposed, been fate. It was so sharp, and he had been practicing. Several watermelons had met their fate at the end of that knife; as a result, he knew just the right amount of force that he would have to use to pierce through the initial layers of skin and tissue that would try and resist the knife's entry to his heart. He had also asked the tattooist, when he had written his one true love's name across his heart, to place an x, an innocent symbol for a kiss below it. He had marked his target point so well. Yes, it had all come together so well. It was meant. It had to be.

The more rational part of his mind told him that it wasn't. It was a series of coincidences. Nothing more, nothing less. He knew that Blaine had killed himself and ended up in heaven with Kurt; but he was surely an exception to the rule, drummed into him from an early age at church, that suicides did not end up in heaven - they ended up in hell. If he did this, carried out his plan, that was where he risked ending up. Then he really would lose Wes…

But he couldn't carry on living in a world without him either. He wouldn't do it. He was pretty sure from the way that he felt that he was intended to die too, just as Blaine had been. That guy in New York had been meant to kill him, but some chance meant that he had lived. He had managed to talk him out of it, and if he hadn't, then he would be with Wes right now. As the rational side of his head tried to protest against his hypothesis once again, he knew that he had to drown it out. He was scared of death, scared even more of losing Wes, but even if there was the tiniest sliver of hope that he would end up in heaven with him, he had to take the risk. He needed to be with the man that he loved.

He stood now on the stage and pondered exactly where to do it. In the end, he chose to sit under the burning beam of the one spotlight that he had left on. It would make it easier for everyone to see his body when they eventually came looking for him. He felt guilty about leaving them all, but they would just have to deal with it. David would still have Mercedes and she would help him through; Nick and Jeff had each other; Trent had Rory, Sebastian had Dave - they did not lack support in their relationships. Beats and Flint had a bromance that was easily on a par to that between David and Wes, as did Ethan and Drew, and to a lesser extent, Jasper and Brad. The New Directions would barely notice his absence, much like his family - in fact, the latter might actually be glad to have got rid of the prodigal son, the only non medic in the family. He had written a short note, apologising for his actions, and had left it stuck to the mirror in the tiny dressing room. He had left Mr Bangy to the care of Trent - he knew that he would look after him - but he had asked that the post of Head Warbler be transferred to a man from the older generation - someone loved and respected, like Gabriel. He had heard so much about him over the years from Wes; now that he had met him, Thad knew that he would be a good choice. He wasn't weak and flawed, as he was. He wasn't up to the job, and his current actions were the proof of that. Still, Wes had been given the good send off that he deserved, and he had left instructions for his own - or rather, his wish for nothing at all. He didn't deserve it, not when he was going to hurt them all so much, all over again. He did not deserve to be shown their love.

Like Blaine before him, Thad had come prepared for his final moments with music on his iPod. He had however chosen only one song as he knew that his time would most likely be short. He took it from his pocket now, placed the buds in his ears and pressed play. The opening chords of _Who wants to live forever?_ by Queen filled his head. He had only really heard the song properly a week ago, on his flight from L.A. to New York, before he headed to the vigil in Boston. It had struck such a chord that he had stopped in the airport to download the song to his play list. Now, as the words filled his ears - _There's no time for us, there's no place for us_ \- he thought once again, as he had on the flight, just how apt the song was in describing his relationship with Wes. He knew that he had started to cry, and he made no attempt whatsoever to stem the salty flow down his cheeks. The love of his life had died, and left him. Now, he hoped, he was about to head back to him. As the last line of lyrics - _Who wants forever anyway?_ \- played out, he shed his blazer, carefully folding it and placing it to one side. He took the chance to stroke Mr Bangy one final time as he did so, and then placed the gavel inside the folded garment. He did not need to remove his well washed, and therefore paper thin, white shirt - the black x of his tattoo could quite clearly be seen through it. His hand moved for the knife, took it, and held it aloft. It shone in the brightness of the spotlight's glare. It began to tremble as his hand began to shake, and he had to take several deep breaths to stop the tremors once and for all. His thought now back on his task, feeling calmer, he tightened his grip on the handle of the blade. He raised it up above his head once more. He had done his research and the math - a downward stroke with force behind it, and then pull it back out, to let the blood flow freely. With any luck, he would be gone before anyone arrived. Now that the moment was actually here, he began to feel a strange sense of calm. He began to count down from ten in his head…


	54. All so wrong

**All so wrong...**

 _With any luck, he would be gone before anyone arrived. Now that the moment was actually here, he began to feel a strange sense of calm. He began to count down from ten in his head_ _…_

Thad was at two when he heard a one word agonised scream of "NO!"

Wes was exhausted. He had never been a great athlete, however hard his father had tried to push him in that direction. At Dalton, he was a singer, not a star of the lacrosse, badminton or swimming teams. The frantic pace that he had set himself as he had sprinted from Elizabeth's office to the 'fake' Dalton had left him aching - the final jump across to the real Dalton had almost left him in a collapsed heap. He was running solely on adrenaline, his need to get there. Now, he was in place and he could act. When he had looked up to see the one man that he had ever loved clutching _his_ paper knife in his hands, held up aloft, and ready for the downward strike, he had felt the bile rise up and fill his throat. He kept going, running down the aisle of the auditorium. All he could do was shout, and hope that it would be enough to stop him…

Thad knew that he shouldn't look up if he was to stick to his plan, but he did anyway, and instantly saw the person that had shouted at him. Wes was there; his face florid, his breathing rapid, his eyes wild and red rimmed. He had still managed to find enough air in his lungs to scream at him; and that alone had been enough to make him pause. He had never disobeyed an order from Wes in the past and he wasn't about to start now.

And yet, the knife remained firmly in his grasp, still high above his head, still poised for that fatal stroke. His body was shaking again, mainly because Wes was now standing at his side; had sunk, exhausted, onto the stage at his side, and was now sitting next to him.

"Don't do this Thaddie," Wes gasped, his body still trying to get enough air back into his aching lungs. "Please, please, don't do this…"

"I have to Wes. I can't live like this. I can't go on, not on my own. I want to be, I need to be with you, and if I do this, then I get to be back with you… It worked for Blaine, so it should work for me…."

"It won't be like that, because this is different. Blaine was meant to die, Thad - and you aren't. Your name isn't on the list. I know, because I've looked. And that means only one thing. If you do this, you will be going down to hell. You will not end up with me, you will go to hell with Hunter. But if you are really determined to do this… then you don't leave me any choice. I will go back to heaven, and commit a crime, an extremely serious one. Then I will be punished. I will lose my beautiful wings, and they will send me to hell too. Only, even then, I won't be with you. We would probably be able to see each other, but not get to each other. Nothing would be any different from the situation we are in now, apart from one thing. The others will be completely broken, and they would never recover… It isn't worth it, my little one. So, I am begging you now, my Thaddie, my one true love, please don't do this. If you love me at all, really love me, then you won't do this…."

"I just want to be there with you Wessie. I want to be with you, because I can't do this on my own. I'm not strong enough to stay here on my own, even with you visiting me all the time. I can't bear the prospect of that being all that I have for decades. I just want to be with you - is that so wrong, so bad?"

"No, my love! I want to be with you too, so very, very much. But we can't do it like this, because we will end up torn apart for all eternity. We just have to wait - and I will wait for you, forever. I know that it is going to be so hard for you; it is going to be hard for both of us. But for my sake, you have to stay here; you have to live… So please, just put the knife down. Don't end our story like this in a moment of grief. We will have forever, but only if you don't do this. So please, please, please, for me - don't do it Thad. Don't do it, because it would destroy me. It would destroy the other Warblers too - they would never recover from you doing this, particularly my poor Davie - he would blame himself for it all; think that he should have spotted the signs… So for them, for me, don't do it Thaddie. Please, please, don't…." And then Wes broke down, his body wracked by aching sobs, the pain finally too much for him to bear.

That was it for Thad. He burst into tears too, and spoke quietly to Wes, from the recesses of his heart. "I'm so sorry Wes. I just wanted to be with you so much. Forgive me Wes. Please forgive me for all of this. I love you, I do, so very much. I just miss you…" and he broke down, finally letting the knife fall from his hands, to land with a clatter on the stage.

That sound filled Wes with such relief, such joy. He was able to stop his sobs for a moment, long enough to whisper "Thank you, Thaddie. I love you and forgive you…" Then he reached out, his sobs starting once more, and took Thad tightly into his arms.

So emotional were they that neither of them noticed that Wes was actually holding Thad…

* * *

The Warblers had run all the way from the Senior Commons, David in the lead, all of them screaming out for Thad by the time they got to the door. In doing so, they had passed along the corridor where, all that time ago, Blaine had taken Kurt on a shortcut. It was there that Jeff made a grab for Nick's hand, and his husband took it, thankful for the security that it made him feel. They all felt the same thing as they ran. If Thad succeeded, then it would be the end of everything. Losing another one of their friends, in such a horrible manner, would just be too much to bear. They would all survive it, but the presence of the others in their lives; the mention of the words Dalton and Warblers would come to serve only as a reminder of all that they had lost. Like Mitch had been ordered to do by his family, they would all try to forget, to try and remove the pain. Hopefully, it wasn't too late. Hopefully, he was still alive. As David finally reached the door to the auditorium and slammed it open, he was praying harder than he had ever done before. He had to be alive. He just had to be.

When David opened the door, they all heard it immediately. Music. The song. The song that Wes had always sung to them in times of trouble. _Hush little Warbler, don't you cry…_ David stopped on the threshold, Nick and Jeff promptly barrelling straight into him, before they too stopped, and stood transfixed, unaware of the others bumping into them as they arrived. There in front of them, bathed in a beam of light, was Wes, his wings outspread; and Thad, looking so small… Wes was singing the old familiar words to Thad, as he held him in his arms. None of them could think straight enough in their anguished state to realise that the sight before them was so very wrong. That Wes was an angel, a supernatural being. That Thad, like them, was an earthbound mortal. That as a consequence, they could not both be corporeal and real on the plane that they were currently in. They were all so entranced by the sight in front of them that they completely forgot the rules. They all were filled with a desire to be in Thad's place, held safely in Wes' arms. So, almost as one man, they started to move slowly down the aisle, towards the stage. To be with Wes and Thad, in the hope that they too might be granted a final hug…

Once the Warblers head left the Senior Commons, the New Directions had felt awkward. Principal Carmichael had started to cry, and Mercedes had gone over to try and comfort him, whilst Mike headed off in search of Principal Lefevre - she had said that she would be in her office doing paperwork, and she would be better equipped to deal with her predecessor in his grief. When Mike told her that Thad had gone missing - a surmised suicide attempt in the auditorium being the last thing that he wished to blurt out - and that Principal Carmichael was very upset, she first called his wife, and then followed Mike back to the commons. Mrs Carmichael arrived at the same moment that they did, and the two women took over the care of the sobbing, broken and worried man. Mike made his way over to where Puck, Santana and Sam were standing.

"We should head for the auditorium…" Santana said as soon as Mike arrived. "If he has… then we as honorary Warblers will need to really step up and support them. Same goes for Rory and Dave," she said, pointing to the two young men in question, sitting side by side on a couch, their faces etched in sorrow.

"And the others - well Quinn will want to come; Mercedes will need to be there for David; Artie and Tina will follow us, as will Kitty and Brittany," said Puck. Then, with a glance at Santana, he whispered "Has she had any more dreams?"

"No, she hasn't, which is hopefully a sign that they were in time to stop him. So, we're going?" There were nods all round, and as quickly and as quietly as they could, they left the room and headed in the directions of the auditorium.

In the meantime, the Warblers had all climbed up on the stage, where Wes was still singing softly to a crying Thad. They all spotted the knife lying by them - Ethan let out a small gasp as he recognised it; realised that he had seen it before in a small apartment in Harvard. There was no trail of blood; no pool of red liquid, and the knife itself was clean, which was a relief to them all. They managed to get right up onto the stage, to stand right behind Thad before Wes noticed them. As he looked up, they all saw the tears in his eyes, the pain that he felt etched on his face. He in his turn saw the concern and anguish that was written in all of theirs; the fact that all of their eyes were damp. He was reminded of the day that Kurt had announced that he was going back to McKinley; many hearts had broken that day, none more so than Blaine's. Kurt had never known how, on the afternoon of the day they serenaded him in the courtyard at McKinley, they had returned in silence to the Senior Commons; almost as soon as they were through the door, Blaine had begun to sob. Wes had pulled him into his arms, and looked over his head at the others in the room, all of them with eyes downcast and sad faces. He had nodded, and at once he and Blaine had found themselves in the centre of a group hug, all of them linked together.

The situation seemed so very similar that his instincts took over. Wes nodded at them all and beckoned them in. David was the first to move, to sink down on his knees as Thad and Wes both had; he placed one arm around Thad, the other around Wes. Moments later, Nick, Jeff and Trent had formed up behind Thad and David; Sebastian, Beats and Flint behind them. To Wes' left, Ethan and Drew found a spot, and so were next to Thad. By David, on Wes' right, Jasper and Brad came in. Wes kept singing quietly as, one by one, each of his boys started to cry; and that sight set him off again too. He had promised to protect them all, and now he was the cause of all their pain. He kept singing those words, just wishing he could find some way to hold them all in his arms…and then it struck him. He spread out his wings, and found that they were big enough to allow him to wrap them round all of them; hopefully by this he would protect them all from any further harm.

This then was the sight that greeted the New Directions as they entered the auditorium at Dalton. Wes was singing in a tear choked voice, his head bowed; singing the song that they had all heard him singing back in the court in February. His wings were outstretched in front of him, held over his boys, of whom nothing could be seen but the uniform grey trousers and polished black shoes. There was the sound of tears, but they seemed to be dying away. They could only stop and stare at the threshold. The sight was magnificent, but at the same time, so very frightening. Like the Warblers before them, none of them noticed what was wrong in the image - all except one of them, who had seen this situation once before…


	55. Miracle

**Miracle**

 _Like the Warblers before them, none of them noticed what was wrong in the image - all except one of them, who had seen this situation once before_ _…_

Artie had been here before, on the night that he saw an angel for the first time. When Rachel had dashed across the stage in the Spotlight Diner to hold Finn, he had been the one to point out that it should not be happening. Now it was happening all over again, and this time it involved an entire group of people. A group of young men that had accepted him into their midst with no difficulty. Who saw him first and his chair later. They were very different to the boys of the New Directions - there was far less talk of football, and less time was taken up with marathon sessions on Playstation and X-box. Instead they invited him to movie nights, where they would sit and watch Indie or foreign language films, something that he actually enjoyed immensely, but would never have imagined doing with his other friends, except possibly Mike. He enjoyed watching French cinema in the company of Sebastian; knew of Jeff's secret love of Manga comics, something that Nick did not really get; just as Nick's love of Nordic crime dramas was not shared by his husband. Now, those three and the others were being sheltered under the wings of an angel. Wings that they were touching, and that touched them. Something was very wrong here. He hesitated for a moment to vocalise it, but as his blood ran colder by the second, he knew that he had no choice but to spell it out for everyone. He did so in a loud voice that carried the full length of the room. "Ok, guys, I'm getting déjà vu in here, and at the risk of repeating myself - he is holding them. He should not be able to hold them…."

The sound of tears stopped, replaced by gasps from the New Directions around him as they realised what was going on. From the boys that were hidden from them under those white wings, there was initially silence. As for Wes, he had turned to stare at Artie; he too had been rendered speechless by the sudden clarity of the situation that he found himself in; the realisation of what he was doing. He was holding Thad and David in his arms. He could feel ten other hands touching him on his arms and chest. He could feel the hair on their heads against his wing feathers. It was wrong, so wrong. He could not possibly be alive again, not with wings, and that could only lead him to think one thing - an alternative so horrific that it would break him. He could hear David crying again, but Thad wasn't - why would he, if what he imagined was the case? He would have him back. Then he heard a stammering line from Jeff, words which made his heart sink.

"Are we dead, Nicky? Have we died?"

"I don't know Jeffie," came his husband's quiet reply, "but as long as I have you…"

At the door, Dave and Rory were now being held back by Puck, Mike and Sam. They could all understand why the two of them wanted to run up and dive onto the stage, to bury themselves under those wings, but they did not know yet what had actually transpired. In the end, it was Santana that started to call out, joined by the others as they suddenly came to the conclusion that they alone would be able to tell them what was going on. In the end, Wes and the Warblers joined in, all desperate to know the truth. Had they died? Was Wes back with beautiful but difficult to explain wings? Or was it all just some happy chance, a miracle? And so they called out loudly for Kurt, for Blaine, for Finn. Hopefully, one of them would know the answer to their question.

It was Kurt that arrived first, wondering what the heck was going on. He had still been sitting in his mom's office when the shouting had started, and she had told him he needed to hurry to the auditorium. He arrived and looked first at Santana, who just pointed with a trembling hand at the stage. As he turned slowly he took in the white faced Artie, with Kitty kneeling at his side; the shocked faces of Quinn, Tina and Sugar; Mercedes in tears; Puck, Sam and Mike, the first two holding back a struggling Dave, the latter holding a crying Rory to his chest….

Then he saw the stage. Saw Wes now pulling back his wings to reveal a huddle of pale and now silent Warblers. To show him that he had David and Thad in his arms…

"Kurt" stammered Wes. "I think we need your mom. We seem to have a very, very big problem here…"

Before Kurt could move, frozen in place as he was by the enormity of what he was witnessing, Blaine suddenly materialised by his side. His face was smiling, and he managed to get out a cheerful "Hey guys…" before he saw what was happening on the stage. Kurt had to grab hold of him as he collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed with the shock and horror. This was worse than Wes dying and having to be the one to collect him. The sight before him did seem to imply that at least Thad and David had died, given that Wes was able to hold on to them. But worse than that, Nick, Jeff and Trent were holding onto them, and they would only be able to do that if… His mind collapsed into overload; he wondered if some part of the stage lighting rig had fallen from the ceiling and crushed them all in a tragic accident.

As his mind pondered the worse, he barely heard Kurt whisper in his ear "They can't all be dead Blaine; it isn't possible. We would have been told if they were all going to die. There would have been a task force organised for the collection. It has to be Wes. Something has gone wrong with him." Blaine stared at his husband for a moment, and knew that he was right. There would have been an army of angels on stand by to deal with a Warbler extinction on the scale he imagined. He rallied, and managed to get back up on his feet, earning himself a smile from Kurt. "I am going to get my mom. She will know what to do." He kissed Blaine on the cheek and then vanished, but not before they all heard him screaming "Mom!" in an anguished tone.

Blaine now stepped towards the stage where his former classmates now stood, lost in horror and confusion. Nick was clinging onto a distraught Sebastian; Jeff at his side was comforting a sobbing, heartbroken Trent, whose tears and wails were matching those of Rory. Jasper and Brad were being comforted by Ethan and Drew; Flint was being held up by Beats, requiring the beatboxer's help to even stand upright. They had all walked up to the stage blindly, entranced by the sight before them, lured in almost by the old familiar song. Wes was in tears too, still holding onto an inconsolable David with one arm; and a very calm, peaceful looking Thad with the other. It was obvious at once to Blaine why he alone was not crying of all those on the stage. If the worst had happened, if they were all dead, then he would be reunited with Wes, and he would take such comfort from that. Of the others, Nick and Jeff seemed the least upset, but that was because they would still be together; that was why Trent and Sebastian were amongst the most terrified. If the worst had happened, then they had lost everything. That was why Nick and Jeff were doing their best to console them.

Suddenly, Blaine realised that Wes was speaking. "This is all my fault. I've done this to you all. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. If I've…I will never forgive myself…."

"It isn't your fault, Wes," said Jeff. "Nobody forced us to come up onto the stage; nobody made us hug you; we wanted to be back with you, our leader, our friend, our guardian. But I don't think that you can have done what you are thinking. Think about it Wes - wouldn't you have known, wouldn't Kurt and Blaine have known if we were all going to die…?"

Before Wes could respond, Kurt reappeared, this time with his mother and Finn at his side. Finn's eyes went wide as he saw what Wes was doing, but he didn't seem panic stricken. He knew that there had to be an explanation for it; he just had absolutely no idea what that would be. Kurt still looked flustered, and he moved away from his mom to stand by Blaine, who placed a comforting arm around his shoulders. He looked at him in the hope that Elizabeth might have said something to him already, but if she had, Kurt was not forthcoming. Elizabeth for her part just stood silently and took in the scene in front of her on the stage. Then she turned and observed the pale faces of those still standing in the auditorium itself. She took a breath and spoke. "Firstly, none of you have died. You are all still alive. So, Puck, Sam, Mike, there is no need to hold anyone back anymore." The words had barely left her mouth before Dave and Rory were running full tilt down the aisle, to jump on the stage and fall into the arms of their respective partners. Mercedes followed them at a more sedate pace, and took David from Wes, just holding his body close to her own, her hands running soothingly down his back.

Elizabeth remained silent as they reunited. She ignored the fact that every single eye in the room was now at least partially on her. She knew what was going on - they had warned her that this might happen at the time. It had been a risk worth taking, and the consequences were something that she was sure they would all be able to live with. Her only mistake had been not to mention something about it to the boys sooner. She took a breath, then cleared her throat. As if by magic, the entire room fell silent, as everyone waited for her to speak.

"I have a confession to make to you all. This is something that I should have told you all, perhaps, before now, but there was no proof that it had actually happened, until now. It is something that I should have told my four angels about, at the very least. But, hindsight is a wonderful thing, and we must all be grateful today to Mr Harwood for what he has done. He has proven a theory that my superiors laid out to me in November of last year; something that they were worried about when I requested that Kurt, Blaine, Finn and myself be made corporeal for the wedding. There concern was that when the spell was cast by Brittany, it would create a situation in which all those involved would remain in the state in which they were at that moment in time…and would continue to be so for all those that where affected by the casting of that spell. It was only a theory; there was no precedent, just a concern. Looking back, I seem to recall that at the moment when the two grooms kissed at that wedding, the entire room was bathed with light; an ethereal light which surrounded all of those present at the time. That was when the initial step took place; that was when it all started. Wes, of course, was bathed in that light. So when he passed over, he was also affected in the same way. Basically, he and the four of us have always been corporeal to those that can see us and where present on that night." She paused, and noticed that everyone was staring at her, their mouths open, in stunned silence. "Now, the big question is, how would this apply to the six members of the Warblers that were not at that wedding, but were on the stage just now? I can only suggest that because the same formula was used again; the same person cast the spell - it must have happened again. They became part of this unique group because of their close ties to Wes and the others. I don't know how pleased my superiors are going to be about this, but it has happened, and it can't be reversed."

"So, I'm not in trouble?" said Wes, relief obvious in his voice.

"No, you certainly aren't. Between you and Thad, you have solved the problem of how to prove the theory without raising false hope amongst the others. You did what was natural to you today. You needed to comfort the man that you love, and so you took him into your arms and hugged him. Which is something that you will be able to do all the time now…"

The full impact of her statement was only just beginning to sink in. Did she really mean what they all thought? "Mom," said Kurt, "does that apply to all of us, not just Wes. All of us can touch people?" Elizabeth nodded, and Kurt broke into a huge smile, before glancing across at Blaine, who was trying hard not to laugh with joy. They walked towards the door, leaving the shell shocked Finn behind them, to the spot where the New Directions still stood in awe and disbelief.

It was Sam that was brave enough to step forward. "Blam…?" he whispered, and then Blaine had his arms wrapped tightly around him. Sam burst into tears as he felt the warmth from Blaine's skin, and he pulled him in closer.

"This feels so good, Sam," said Blaine, in a hushed voice. "Just remember…"

"Never stroke the wings," said Sam with a sniff, and then he started to chuckle.

Kurt meanwhile had been embraced by Brittany, then Santana had joined them with a laugh. Puck had left the group and headed over to the stunned Finn, and pulled him into a hug. It only took a moment for Finn to reciprocate.

There was then a period of reunions between them all. Warblers needed to hug Kurt and Blaine; Mike wanted a long hug from Wes, as did Santana of all people. Then something dawned on Kurt - he quickly grabbed Finn and Blaine and whispered something in their ears. Their faces lit up with glee as they both realised that what he had just said was true. With the briefest of farewells, they vanished, leaving Wes and Elizabeth alone in a room full of people that had gone from shock and horror to overwhelming joy.

Thad was still sitting on the stage in shock, however. He knew that when all was said and done, everyone was now fully aware that he had tried to commit suicide. He tried to avoid their eyes, particularly David's. No doubt they would have to have a long and awkward talk about the day at some point, but just now, David was too busy talking to Mercedes. The good thing was that he didn't look too upset anymore. Thad was suddenly aware that two people had sat themselves down on either side of him - Nick and Jeff. They both wrapped an arm around him, and Nick spoke quietly to him. "Please, Thad, don't ever do anything like this again. You do realise that we all love you very much?"

"We will always be there if you need us," said Jeff.

"I know boys. I love you too. I just wasn't thinking straight - I just needed so desperately to be with him," said Thad.

"We get it," said Jeff. "We would be the same, wouldn't we Nicky?"

Nick nodded, and said, "But now, he is back, at least partially, so you don't need to do anything like this again. And if it gets too much…"

"I'll tell you. You're right, I do have him back…it isn't the same, but he is back…"

The rising hubbub of conversation ended abruptly as Elizabeth cleared her throat once again. Once she had everyone's full attention, she spoke, Wes now standing by her side. "I think that we can all agree that what has happened here is a wonderful thing, but there are nevertheless some things that you all need to be aware of. The boys are only corporeal and visible to you - some other people will be able to see them, for example Rory's brother, but to him they will remain a spectre. They also cannot stay here on earth any longer than before; they cannot live here. If anyone was hoping that they would be able to do so, then you will be disappointed. They still have their angelic work to undertake, and that will always take precedence over everything else. I also believe that we should all forget the circumstances that brought us to this revelation. I am sure that every one of you has had a moment in their life in which you have felt unable to carry on, and it would therefore be wrong for us to judge anyone else on such matters. I would ask you all instead to be supportive, as you always are, of each other, and try to help those that are suffering the most at the moment, through no fault of their own. I think that the chances of a repeat of the issue are now slim to nil, for which we should all be very grateful. So, before we go, are there any questions?"

There was silence for a moment, and then a hesitant voice came. "If they are physically here now, and corporeal, does that mean that they can eat when they are with us? I guess that I am asking if we can invite Wes over for dinner?" said Nick, looking and sounding so serious.

Elizabeth smiled at him, and nodded. "I think that you could invite him to dinner, no problem, just as long as everyone there is a member of the group. For obvious reasons, you can't invite him to a restaurant…"

"…but if you are offering Fettuccini Alfredo and Treacle Tart at the loft, I will be right over!" said Wes in such an eager tone that he got a massive laugh. Nick smiled broadly, and secretly began to plan for an invite to dinner the following week.


	56. Back, but not really

**Back, but not really**

As events at Dalton came to a close, Kurt had reappeared in the living room of the house in Lima that he had once called home. He knew that his Dad would be at home, as would Carole and Cooper. They had left Dalton at the end of the second memorial and had been heading straight there. Sure enough, Burt was sitting there in front of the television, watching his sports as he always did; Carole was in the kitchen, preparing a light supper; and Cooper was in the garden, calling Grace back in New York - she had been obliged by her work to stay there, and now he was filling her in on the details. Burt had not questioned Cooper on the reason that he was making the call outside. Both Finn and Kurt had done the same thing on occasion when they were talking to Rachel or Blaine respectively. It had been a long day, and it marked, he hoped, the end of the worst of the mourning for Wes.

The last two weeks had been hard for all of them, but for his closest friends in particular, it had been a period of great suffering. It wasn't over now by any means - they would continue to have moments of bleakness for a long time to come, but they were a very resilient bunch. He guessed that after the other deaths, they had become far harder than most people of their age were. They had an attitude it seemed that was basically that you just had to get up and get on with things. He had expected that Trent would need to take time off school, and that Rory would need to take time away from work to care for him, but that had not occurred. They had all started college as planned - no delays or begging for time off. He had seen evidence of that himself that day - he had come across Nick reading a text book at lunch time; overheard Sebastian and Sam comparing notes about classes between the two very different memorials… It had been an interesting day, and darn it, did that darn porn star song not keep entering his head…

The only one that he had any concern about was Thad. He seemed too cheerful; was coping far too well for someone that had just lost the love of their life. He knew from Mercedes that David had been on the verge of a complete breakdown when she had got his mother involved - he hoped that Thad would not be the one that would fall next. The decision by Wes to designate him as the new Head Warbler was a great one, and an accolade to the boy, but what if he found the pressure of his new responsibilities too much, and he just fell apart. With David in such a mess himself, who would be there to pick up the pieces if he did?

When Burt felt the draught, he knew at once who it was - he had been half expecting this visit all evening. Apart from the night when he had joined them for dinner at Trent and Rory's apartment in Washington, Burt had not had a chance to have a real conversation with Wes. He knew that the boy had to be suffering at least as much as Thad and David, if not more - he too had lost so much. When he looked up and saw Kurt standing there on his own, he was slightly surprised, but not at all disappointed. The look on Kurt's face was one that Burt was all too familiar with from the old days. It was the 'Dad, there is something I need to tell you' face…. "Hey bud, you on your own? Was kinda expecting all of you, and Wes in particular to show up tonight."

"Finn has gone straight in to see Carole, and Blaine is waiting to talk to Cooper. As for Wes, he is still tied up at Dalton with Mom - you see, something happened after you all left - and it wasn't good. You see, Thad tried to kill himself…." Kurt paused as Burt jumped out of his seat, his face white with horror. "It's ok Dad, it's ok - he tried and he failed. Wes realised that something was wrong and managed to talk him out of it. He knew that if Thad succeeded then he would lose him forever. But as I say, he stopped him, and so everything is going to be alright. More than alright in fact. You see, the whole affair lead us to a discovery…"

Before Kurt could say anymore, there was a shriek from Carole in the kitchen. Burt was out of his seat again and racing towards the door at once, and had just placed his hand on the handle when Kurt grabbed his arm to stop him. "Son, what are you doing? Carole's in…" He stopped abruptly as his mind processed what was happening. Kurt had a firm hold on his arm. Kurt, his deceased, supernatural angel son had a grip on his arm…

"Dad, Brittany's spell went slightly wrong. As a result, we are all still as corporeal as we were on Thanksgiving last year. So, somehow, is Wes. Mom had an inkling, but she wasn't sure and did not want to raise anyone's hopes just to dash them again by even suggesting that this could have happened. I am still dead. I am still an angel, but for a few lucky people, I am now not only visible, but real and solid."

Burt just stared at Kurt for a moment, and then pulled him into a tight hug, his hand in his hair, something that Kurt would not have stood for any other day, but today, he let it slide. It wasn't everyday that you became aware that you could still hug your father. His dad was crying, and so was he. They stayed like that for a few moments, and then they heard more shouts from the kitchen.

Cooper had been telling Grace just how much he loved her when he had heard Carole shriek as Finn, who had just been standing at her side talking the moment before, had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. It was not a shriek of horror, but of shock, surprise and pleasure. She had quickly melted into his arms, and had begun to cry at the sheer delight of being back in the arms of her son once more. In the garden, of course, Cooper did not know this, and he quickly told Grace that something was up and that he had to go, before racing up the garden path to fling open the kitchen door. The sight that met his eyes when he did so was enough to give him cause for a swift double take. It was impossible and wrong…. He was still stood on the threshold, frozen in place, when he heard a voice at his side say "Hey Coop!"; and then he felt two arms wrap around him. There, at his side, and now giving him a hug was his dead, angelic brother… "Squirt, what is going on…?"

"Brittany made a mistake in the spell, or something, and it turns out that actually, I never stopped being corporeal to you or any of my closest friends since the night I married Kurt. It also seems to be the case that I am going to stay that way; we all are. If only we had known, eh?"

"So this isn't a dream? This is real - you are real?"

"Yeah, same old me, apart from wings and eternal youth - oh, and Coop, don't ever stroke my wings, ok?"

Cooper laughed, and then grabbed Blaine and held him all the more tightly to himself. He could feel his legs giving way, and the two of them ended up kneeling on the floor, still holding each other tightly, tears streaming unchecked down Cooper's face. That was the scene that greeted Burt and Kurt as they walked in - a mother and a brother reunited with someone that they thought that they had lost for the rest of this lifetime. All of them were enjoying every moment of the reunion.

The moment that they saw Burt and Kurt enter the room, Finn and Carole parted, Finn heading to Burt, Carole to the more than willing arms of Kurt. More tears were shed as step parents and step children embraced for the first time in so long. Kurt of course had his mom back, but Carole occupied such a special place in his heart; she had loved him from the first moment that they had met, and the relationship that had begun that day would be something that neither of them would ever forget. The same of course was true of Finn and Burt - although they had had their differences at first, they had grown to like and respect each other, united by a love of football. As Burt held the boy in his arms, he couldn't help but think how good it was to have all of his sons back in a physical form - because of course, he had one more 'son' to go to. It would appear that the same thought went through Carole's head at the same time, as they both let go of the boy that they were holding to head over to Blaine, who on seeing the two approach, let go of his brother to fall into the arms of the two people he had regarded more as parents than his own had ever been to him. Cooper for his part went over to hug his brother-in-law, and pulled Finn in for good measure, all three of them laughing at the intensity of the feelings. They were soon joined by the other three, who came over to form a group hug, all of them so overwhelmed by the feelings of happiness that filled the room.

They stayed there for some time. Carole was at first pleased to see that they could now eat - a mother's urge to feed her children never ends - but she quickly realised that there was nowhere near enough food prepared to feed Finn, Blaine and Cooper at the same time. Kurt was never such an issue to feed, as he was more than happy just to sit and nibble on a cookie that he hadn't made himself. He was biding his time after all; he had plans to make a quick trip of his own, to a certain theatre on Broadway, to give Rachel an after show shock that she would never forget. He also had an urge to go and visit Sue, knowing that once she got over her initial shock, she would be so happy to see that he was solid again. Then there was Mr Schue and Emma; Coach Bieste; Carmen Tibideaux. He guessed that he could pay some or all of them a visit, with Blaine for company, tomorrow. Rachel, however, would never forgive them if at least one of them did not come to see her on the very first day that they were able to. He could see that Finn would not wish to leave his mom; Carole just looked so please to have her boy back, even if it meant that she had to cook for an entire football team again. As for his husband, he was back with his brother, and they needed their time together to renew their bond. So he would go alone; he knew that his dad would understand, and in fact, he would probably encourage his plans.

So it was that Kurt left Lima, but not without one long final hug from his dad and Carole, and headed back to the city that he had once upon a time called home in this world. He had timed his arrival in New York to perfection - the bows had been taken, and the initial post show crush of bodies backstage had thinned out. Rachel was now alone in her dressing room, removing the last traces of make up. She had grown quite accustomed to the draught that came from a pair of angel wings as one of her friends landed at her side, and she carried on with her routine. Once it had stopped, she looked up and saw Kurt standing there, a big smile on his face. "I was hoping that one of you might come and pay me a visit!" she said. "Artie sent me a video of the first memorial, but there has been nothing from the second - not even a text from Sam to say how it went…"

"Shall we just say that the second memorial went very well - Artie was making a film of it, and I am sure that he will send it to you eventually. I shall warn you that some of the song choices were a tad controversial, but I am sure that Sam will be in touch to fill you in on that. The thing is, after that, something happened. It all kind of centred on Thad. Again, that is not my story to tell - I am sure that he will tell you what happened eventually…" Kurt stopped to look at his best friend. She did look a trifle unhappy at the lack of detail, but he had expected nothing else from her. He shook his head, then reached over and took her hand. Her eyes widened as she felt his touch, and then she was out of her chair, flinging herself into his arms. She held him so tight that Kurt thought he might not be able to breathe. Nonetheless, when he felt her tears falling on his cheek, he knew that he had done the right thing. He had ended the day by making one of his best friends very happy indeed.


	57. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

Back at Dalton, things had finally drawn to a close. The New Directions had all left, the youngest first, followed by the older generation - the last to leave were Puck and Quinn. The former had wanted to thank Wes personally for making him an honorary Warbler, and the two of them had, after a long chat, hugged it out for so long that if Thad and Quinn had not known better, they might have been quite concerned by the whole thing. As it was, the two of them had sat and had a long chat too - Thad needed someone just to talk to; someone with enough distance that they would be able to just sit and listen, and not judge. Quinn gave him that - she had seen her fair share of despair over the years, and though she would still never admit it, she had come precariously close to the edge herself. So she just sat and listened as he told her how his heart felt as if it was totally broken; how every day seemed filled with more and more pain; how he had been fine whilst he had had the distraction of the memorial to plan, but even then, the black thoughts had dogged him. He admitted that the moment he had heard, he knew what he wanted to do, and now - well it just seemed as if there was no point in going on. He had failed, and that just made him feel so ashamed and selfish; he had known after all exactly how his death would affect his fellow Warblers, and yet he had gone ahead anyway. He felt the whole weight of it now, having seen how they reacted in those few minutes when they had all feared that they had died. He didn't know if any of them would ever treat him in the same way again; in fact, he wondered if it might not be better for them if he just went away.

Having just sat and listened the whole time, Quinn finally spoke when he muttered those words. "For what it's worth, I am glad that you are still here. As for going away, no _running_ away, don't you think that would be just as selfish? Yes, they will look at you differently now, but is that such a bad thing? They know now just how broken you are. The Warblers have always been a band of brothers - brothers support each other in times of crisis, and they will support you now, and not just for the sake of Wes. You didn't see them react when Nick realised what was going on. How they all looked so guilty that they hadn't noticed what was wrong sooner. They love you, and although it may take time, they will forgive you, because trust me, they get it. So, chin up, and face them. And don't forget, if you ever need to talk to someone, call me, day or night. You always were my favourite Warbler…" With that, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, taking his hand. She had always known that Thad was the most vulnerable of the Warblers, and now he had proven it. She would support him however she could.

The younger members of the Warblers had also left, but not before each had received their own hug from Wes. They were escorted back to their dorms by Principal Carmichael, who was as overjoyed as the rest of them when he heard that Wes was physically back. As for the alumni, Thad had arranged with Principal Lefevre that they could all stay the night in their old dorm rooms; they had been put out of use after a new housing block had been built; a building in which the Warblers had their own space. It had originally been intended to officially name it Warbler House the following week, but they name had now been changed to Montgomery House by popular request, in memory of Wes. When he had been told this, he had started to cry again. The alumni had been offered a tour, and after it they all agreed that although it had all mod cons, and was far less draughty than their old quarters, it lacked the charm and character of their old domain.

David had declined the invitation to stay originally, feeling that it would be too much to handle, but after a quick call home, and the events of the evening, he had decided to join the others - he and Thad would be occupying the room that once had the names Montgomery/Thompson on the door. It meant a return to room 36 for Nick and Jeff, though they were not looking forward to trying to snuggle up together as usual in a narrow single bed; with a wink, however, Edward had informed them that he and Colin managed. It would be even more of a squeeze for Sebastian and Dave, and Trent and Rory were in the same boat. When the moment came to retire to the corridor that the majority of them knew so well, Beats couldn't help but think that it was as if the clock had been turned back, given that they were all dressed in their Dalton uniform. He felt more than a little nostalgic, and he wondered if the security was still as lax as it had been on the kitchens, so that he and Flint could go and raid them later on. A midnight feast would just serve to reinforce the old time feel.

The same kind of feelings started to affect them all as they stepped through the doors of their old rooms. Trent felt a bit sad that Mitch was missing this, but then again, it would have been kind of awkward given the presence of Rory. He had however resolved to keep in much closer touch with his old roommate. He had been such a good friend after all, and so Trent had forgiven him for his absence from the scene after the scandal had broken. Had he been in his shoes, he might well have ended up doing exactly the same thing. As for Nick and Jeff, they both felt a bit sad that they had spent so many nights together in this room, but always in separate beds. There had been so many nights when Jeff had been desperately in need of a hug, but he had never dared to ask Nick then, for fear that crossing that line might end their friendship forever. Now, as he turned to look at his husband, he was horrified to see that he looked sad. Before he could ask what was wrong, Nick said, "I was such an idiot in the old days, Jeff. Looking back, I can't help but think of how many nights of snuggles we missed because I wouldn't face the truth about myself…"

Jeff just smiled and came over to sit by him on his old bed. "You were scared of your dad and his reaction - with justification. But we are here now, and we've made it! As for all those snuggles we've missed, well, we just have to start trying to catch up…"

One person was missing from that procession of Warblers to their rooms, though; and as David sat on his old bed in room 38 he knew exactly why Thad was not there - he and Wes were no doubt having a private chat somewhere. He hoped that they would not take too long, as he wished to have a chat to Thad himself. He was pretty certain that Wes would be aware of this, but in the meantime, all he could do was sit and wait patiently.

Back in the Senior Commons, Thad sat behind the council table, in the middle chair, that of the Head Warbler. Mr Bangy sat on the table in front of him. "It has been a long time since I sat on this couch," said Wes, and Thad looked up to see that in fact, Wes wasn't exactly sitting on it now either. Sprawled on it would be a far better description, one foot on the floor, the other up on an arm. He shook his head in disbelief for a moment, and then he remembered his new role in this room. He grabbed the gavel, and banged hard twice. Wes looked at him, trying hard to retain a serious expression.

"Mr Montgomery! Must I remind you _again_ to keep your feet off the furniture? We Warblers have generations of rules and standards to uphold. If this is not nipped in the bud now, then what next - will you be constantly jumping up on the furniture like Mr Anderson!?"

At that, Wes cracked, and his serious veneer broke. He burst out laughing, Thad joining in moments later. He still pulled himself back up to sit properly on the couch; and Thad rose from his seat at the table, placing Mr Bangy back in his blazer pocket as he did so, to go over and sit beside him. Almost as soon as he got there, the laughter stopped, and the two were left to stare deeply into each other's eyes.

"I'm so sorry Wes. I was so selfish, so absorbed in my own pain and loss, that I let grief rule my head, instead of being rational about everything and accepting the inevitable. I didn't think - or care at the time - about how my actions would affect everyone else. It would probably have sent David to the asylum. Killed all the joy in the hearts of the others. I mean, would the relationships of Trent and Sebastian have survived the heartache of yet another loss? Would even the redoubtable Niff have survived it? Probably… But what it would have done to you… not even thinking about what you would do if I carried out my plan. I would have made you fall from heaven, and been the cause of you losing your beautiful wings. Can you forgive me, Wessie? Do you think that all of them will really forgive me? Maybe I should hand the gavel to someone else…"

"I think that they have all forgiven you already. If you hadn't done it, then I would never have rushed to Dalton to save you. Never have taken you into my arms in my pure relief at having stopped you doing what you intended. Then we still would not be aware that I can touch you, and you can touch me. That is so, so marvellous. It is almost as if we were all back, as if none of this had ever happened…"

"Apart from the fact that the four of you have wings, and can fly…"

"True, there is that… But the fact remains, I can hold you tightly in my arms; and anytime you feel low, feel down, feel as if life is pointless, just holler and I will drop everything to come to you, and take you in my arms, and make you feel loved. I promise. That, of course, goes for all of the Warblers, but your hugs will be so much tighter…"

"Glad to hear it…"

"There is just one thing that we can't do. I asked Elizabeth, and she confirmed what I had feared. I can't kiss you like I did on that night in Penn station. I can kiss you like this…" - he leant forward and kissed Thad on the cheek - "…and you can do the same to me…" - he paused again, a look of expectation on his face; eventually, Thad realised what he was waiting for and obliged - "…but that is as far as we can go."

"It's ok Wessie," said a blushing Thad. "I can wait, and I will wait. You are the only one for me. That is why your name is written across my heart, for all the world to see. If I have to wait a century or more, then I will, because I love you. And that is for eternity…"

"I am yours forever too, my little one," said Wes, and reached out to place his hand about Thad's heart, directly above his name. Thad looked up, and placed his own hand on the same place on Wes. They sat like that for a while, just staring into each other's eyes. Eyes filled with longing and true love.

They stayed in that position for a long time. Both of them knew that there would be other chances for moments like this; other days and times when they could just sit and hold each other, but for now, they just needed to sit and hold onto each other. In the back of their heads was the fact that they could go no further than this until the day that Thad joined Wes in the angel realm. Neither of them wanted to reach that day any time soon - for now, this would have to satisfy them. By the time that Wes reluctantly removed his hand from the spot on Thad's breast where his name was written - he had been able to feel his heart beating, and that had filled him with joy, and tenderly moved a strand of hair out of Thad's eyes. His smile came easily now, no longer forced, as if somehow Wes had imbued him with some sort of life force through his touch. It was no longer painted on, an act to make everyone think he was ok. He still wasn't 100%, and he never would be, that much he knew. But he had Wes back, and that would give him the strength to carry on. He had the Warblers to lead, and he would do that, with Wes to guide him. He also knew something else now. Dalton was his home, and it was his future. He would come here to teach; his plans to move to New York were in ruins with the death of the man he loved. He would talk to the Principal about it before he left…

Wes followed him up the stairs to the dormitory corridor. It did feel so strange when he reached the door of Room 38 and not be the one going in to be with the waiting David. That part of his existence was over; and to be honest, his new Room 38 was far better appointed, he thought with a smile. He bid Thad goodnight with another chaste kiss to the cheek, and then stood and watched as he walked through the door, and then closed it behind him. He stood alone now in the quiet corridor. If he really listened, he could hear Flint snore; he could hear Nick and Jeff doing something that was most definitely an infraction of the rules in Room 36; and Sebastian and Dave were certainly doing the same - 'not for the first time in that room,' Wes thought with a chuckle. He then began to hear quiet voices from Room 38, and he knew that it was time for him to head home to his new, New York version. He vanished with a slight draught, which stirred a small piece of paper that had been dropped on the floor, and blew it down the stairs.


	58. David bares his soul

**David bares his soul**

Inside Room 38, David had nearly fallen asleep on his old bed as he waited for Thad. He had tried to stay awake, but his eyelids had drooped - after all, the day had been long and stressful. He was jerked back into wakefulness by the sound of the door opening. Thad walked through the door, and closed it behind him. There was a moment of awkwardness immediately afterwards, until eventually he came over and sat by David's side on the bed.

"I'm so sorry David. I am a selfish idiot. I know that I hurt you so much with what I tried to do…"

"I get why you did it. If I had been in the same position that you had been... Look, cards on the table. In the first few days after he died, I could quite easily have killed myself too, and I will admit that I did consider it for a while. But then, between you, Mercedes and my Mom, you stopped me going there…."

"We are a pair, aren't we? The big difference was that whilst you were letting all your pain and misery out, letting us all know that you needed help, I was keeping it all in and letting it take control of my mind. I knew that if I killed myself, that I would not get to Wes; I knew, but it was as if that really didn't matter - I just did not want to go on without him. I didn't think of what it would do to everyone else. All that mattered was me, and my misery…"

"If you had succeeded, I think that it would have destroyed me… Truth is, I need you. You are the one that really gets it - the whole feeling of numbness, of overwhelming loss. You lost the love of your life and I have lost my best friend in the world. But I didn't, I guess; not really. He came and gave me a stern talking to, you know. Like he did if any of us where feeling sorry for ourselves at Dalton. He said things that hurt, but the fact was, he was right. He always was…" Thad nodded, and leant his head on David's shoulder. "He told me that I needed to let people in. He told me to trust Mercedes as I trusted him, and let her know what he knew. So, I did, and it made me feel so much better. So, know I am going to tell you what I told her. It kind of explains why Wes' death affected me quite so much…."

Thad nodded, and looked deeply into David's eyes for the first time. He was shocked to see a deep pain in them - something that predated everything with Wes, a burden that his friend had borne for most of his life. David sighed heavily, and began to tell the tale. "You all knew that Wes and I met for the first time when his family moved in next door to mine back when we were just kids. Fifteen years I knew him. What none of the Warblers have ever known is that the person that Wes made friends with first wasn't me - it was my older brother, Simon. He was a year older than me…" He paused and looked at Thad; the latter had always thought David was an only child, and he understood from one word what he was about to hear - the word _was_. He reached over and took David's hand, and entwined their fingers. David smiled back at him, and grasping his hand tightly, started again. "Simon was the best big brother that anyone could have wished for. He loved me as much as I loved him. He made time for me and never saw me as a nuisance. He had this rule you see - if you wanted to be his friend, then you had to be my friend too. I knew on the first day that Simon introduced me to Wes that the two of us were going to be good friends. He was just like Simon, and actually interested in me. Most of Simon's friends paid lip service to his demands, but Wes, well he never did…"

"It was the summer that I was seven that it happened. My Dad is Ohio born and raised; but my mom, she is from Alabama, and her whole family still live down there. That summer, we all went down there for our summer vacation - we were staying at my grandmother's house - it isn't huge, but it is homely… Or at least, it was. I wouldn't know anymore - we haven't been back there since… The town she lived in was a typical southern town, but the problem for me was the heat. It was just so humid and it hit me really badly. I just felt tired and lethargic all the time. It was so uncomfortable to have to be all dressed up for dinner and the like. Anyway, it came to Sunday morning. My grandmother was a big churchgoer, and she was so proud of all of us, and so looking forward to showing us all off to her friends in the congregation. I was just so tired, and I felt so sick, that the prospect of sitting all suited up in a church for a couple of hours… So I begged and pleaded to be allowed to stay at the house. They were having none of it, at least at first - once I had managed to empty the contents of my stomach all over the kitchen floor, well, things changed. I was excused from going to church, although my grandmother looked so miserable, and my mom was deeply upset too. She ended up staying with me in the house, where I was naturally confined to bed, seeing as I was so sick. My dad and Simon would still be going, and my brother came to see me before he left. He said 'Get well soon, Davie. I will play out with you when I get home, if you are feeling better by then.' He gave me a big wink as he said that - he knew that I wasn't nearly as unwell as I was making out. And then he was gone, off to church…."

David stopped, and swiped at the tears that were forming in his eyes. His voice tremulous, he went on. "He never came back. They went to church, and the service was over. He was standing apart from my grandmother and dad as they were still talking to the pastor. He was standing there, on the sidewalk. The guy came running past, and just as he passed Simon, a car suddenly came level. There was a crack. The guy kept running, the car kept moving. No-one even noticed at the time. It was a case of the wrong place at the wrong time. A split second either way… It was the pastor that noticed that Simon had fallen over. They all thought he had fainted with the heat. It was only when my dad rushed to him that he spotted it…." David stopped, and a shiver ran through his body. Thad, who by now was in tears himself, moved right next to his friend and placed an arm around him. "It was a gang war; a drive by shooting. My brother the innocent bystander. The bullet hit him in the left temple. He was dead before he hit the ground. We ended up staying in Alabama for three more days. When they told me, I started to cry, and didn't stop for those three days. We all cried, so much. My parents had Simon cremated - they didn't want to bury him in Alabama, so far away, but at the same time, it just wasn't practical to have his body taken back to Ohio for burial…."

"We came home. Dad went back to work; Mom was either at church, praying, or hugging me, her beautiful boy. Her only son now… It was too much for me to deal with in the end. I escaped one day to the garden. I knew that I was loved, but without Simon, I felt so alone in the world. I felt so guilty too - if I had gone, maybe he wouldn't have been in that spot… So, there I was, just sat in the garden, crying quietly. And then someone offered me a tissue. You can guess who it was. He had sneaked in over the wall. His parents had told him to stay away from us, as they didn't want to risk their family becoming tied up with a gang war! Like we were involved in it in any way! But that was what Mrs Montgomery was like… But he had disobeyed and he came anyway. He told me that once he had heard me crying, he couldn't not come. He took me into his arms, and held me tight, and we cried for Simon, a brother and a friend, together. That day, he offered to be my big brother - and I accepted on the spot. That was how it all began…"

"He became my best friend from that day forward. His mother found out that he was sneaking round to see me, and she tried everything within her power to stop him, but she couldn't. He was very sneaky in those days - so disobedient! When I look back now, I realise that, at the time, he was the exact opposite to what he became at Dalton… My mom became a great ally of ours too; she realised that I had been so subdued since Simon died, but Wes, he made me smile and laugh again. I guess that he let me forget for just a little while exactly how broken I felt. I blamed myself for his death, you see… If I hadn't pretended to be so sick; if I had gone to church, then maybe he wouldn't have been so far away from the family; maybe he would have been somewhere else looking after me. Or maybe, just maybe, it would have been me that took that fatal bullet. They caught the guy that shot Simon eventually. We didn't go back to Alabama for the trial, but that was just as well… You see, he got off; set free by a technicality. I often wonder if that was what set Wes on his path to becoming a law student…"

"But I digress. Wes knew that I blamed myself; knew that I felt so guilty. One day, he took me up to my room, sat me down and just said 'Simon wouldn't blame you. He loved you so much. He would just be so glad that you weren't there to get hurt.' I knew that he was right, of course - Wes was always the wise one, wasn't he?" Thad nodded in agreement - he had always known instinctively just what to say or do - he still did, even now. "School started up again, and the two of us had a new habit. We would go to school together; we would meet up at break, at lunch, and then we went home together. His mom was always out when school ended, so he came home with me; my mom began to see him as another son. And that went on for many years, until the summer that he would turn fifteen. He turned up one day, and as soon as he saw me he burst into floods of tears. His father had arrived and decreed that he would be going to Dalton. Worse still, he was to be a boarder. At that point I burst into tears, and when she heard, so did my mom. The day before he left, he came over and the two of us went to that quiet spot in the garden that we had met in that day. He told me that he loved me like a brother. He told me that he was gay that day too - he also told me that he knew that I wasn't… Thinking back, he looked so sad when he said that. I'm pretty sure that if I had been gay, then you wouldn't have stood a chance, Harwood… Anyway, when he finally had to leave, and trust me, it had been put off so many times, we hugged forever, and then I might have kissed him on the lips…" Thad's eyebrows raised in surprise, and David couldn't help himself but giggle. "His face was as much of a picture as yours that day. We parted with promises to see each other on holidays, and weekends when he came home…"

"His parents moved away from Westerville a week or so after they sent Wes to Dalton. My mom told me, and she held me as I cried. There would be no weekends or holidays. I became so quiet, and I just felt so lost. My mom knew that there was only one solution, and she knew what she had to do. There had been compensation money after Simon's death, and it had just sat in the bank. That meant she had the means. I can still recall vividly the day months later that she told me I wasn't going to school, but that we were taking a trip instead; my joy when I saw the sign that said 'Dalton Academy for Boys.' My mom had a meeting with Principal Carmichael, and I was sent to see a freshman class. No prizes for guessing who was in it. God, his face when he saw me walk in… When the bell rang, he was out of his desk, straight over to me, and hugging me so close. We would never have dared to do that back in public school, but it went completely unremarked by his classmates at Dalton. It was the end of the school day, and my mom came, and took me and Wes for coffee. When she told us that I had been accepted and would be coming to Dalton after the summer; well the two of us ended up bouncing up and down like Niff on acid… And well, you know the rest, you were there…"

"So, losing him, so suddenly - it just brought everything flooding back. The whole deal with Simon was replaying with Wes. He had been my best friend, my 'big brother' and now, he was gone forever. My heart was shattered. I was so glad when my mom arrived, because she knew; she knew exactly how I would be feeling. No-one else but my dad would have got it. Now, though, you and Mercedes know, and it feels so good not to have to hide my secret anymore. The thing is though, I don't want the others to know about Simon, at least, not yet. Maybe one day I will tell them all, but not yet…"

"I won't say a word. If you need to talk about it, or anything, then I will be there for you, just like Wes always was."

"I know that you will be, Thad. Wes always said that I needed to find someone else to confide in, to open up to; and he always maintained that you would be ideal. That was why, when he found out that I couldn't get into Harvard, he encouraged you to come to UCLA with me. That was the man Wes was; he lost you, but that was ok, because it meant that I had someone, that I would be looked out for. He wanted me to have another best friend around, I guess, just in case. So best friends, you and me?"

Thad nodded, take a firm hold on David's hand. "Deal. Best friends. So, I guess that means you can call me Thaddie from now on, if you like…"

"I would like that, and maybe, you could call me Davie?"

With a nod, and a smile, Thad let go of David's hand, and pulled him into a hug instead. After all, wasn't that what all best friends did when they have finished sharing their deepest secrets?


	59. A Birthday and A Dinner

**A Birthday and A Dinner**

The following morning, the group of young men that were sleeping in their old dormitory corridor awoke early. Sebastian woke up long before Dave and lay there, looking at the surroundings that had once been his home - the place that he had hidden away from Hunter in when the strain of leading a double life had all become a little too much. He kept his eyes firmly away from the narrow space on the other side of the bed, behind Dave, where he had been found by Nick and Jeff on the night that Hunter had punished him. Even thinking about that night made the marks on his back itch. It had been a place of safety where he could curl up small and not be noticed - he did not like to think what might have happened if they hadn't come in; hadn't caught him sobbing and bleeding. That was in the past now - he had gained so much from that night; two very good friends and the man next to him. The love of his life - and there was a time he thought he would never say that about anyone. He was his future, and he had to leave the past behind. That meant never returning to this room again, he realised. Dalton certainly, but not here. He moved carefully, the bed being so small. How on earth he, Nick and Jeff had fitted on it that night he would never know…

Not so very far away, the two men in question were curled up in each others arms, half awake, as naked as jaybirds. Nick was pretty sure that this was the first time ever two husbands had shared a bed in a dormitory in Dalton. It was certainly not the first time that two boys had shared a bed in the school, although usually pyjamas were worn at the time. Nor would it be the first time that the activities he and Jeff had enjoyed last night had taken place either - from what he had been told by Jeff, when the freshman Sebastian had been in room 42, it had been a very busy room indeed. It was quite a thrill at the time to finally christen room 36, but now that they had done it, it was something that neither of them wished to repeat, at least not any time soon.

In room 38, David woke up to discover that he was still fully dressed in his Dalton uniform, and was lying on the top of his old bed, his arms wrapped tightly around a still sleeping Thad, similarly clad, in the position of the little spoon. There would have been a time when he would have found waking up in such a position uncomfortable; would have been worried sick that someone would burst in through the door at any moment, and despite the total innocence of the scene, make unnecessary and uncalled for remarks. He had always feared that on nights when he had been upset and Wes had ended up cradling him in his arms all night, much like he had done for Thad. Today, he didn't care if they were caught. There was nothing here but fraternal love - he knew that and so did Thad, and they were the only people that mattered. He had to revert to his old self; he had to be there to support the others when they needed him, and seek comfort from them too. They had all been so lucky that Thad had not succeeded in his attempt yesterday. He had to ensure that none of the others ever got to the same stage.

They all made their way out of their rooms at separate times, heading in pairs or small groups to the dining room, where breakfast was on the go, at the same times as it always had been. Nick and Jeff were the first there, and bumped into a familiar face at the door. He had been absent yesterday, but was back at his new post today. Jeff smiled and pulled his cousin Dylan, now Dalton's new History teacher, into a deep hug. Nick found himself pulled in a moment later. They ended up sitting at the same table for breakfast. They were glad to discover that Dylan knew nothing about what had happened with Thad - or if he did, he knew not to mention it. Instead he enquired about the songs, and laughed out loud when Jeff described Flint's facial expressions during his song. They promised him that as soon as Artie had the video ready, they would send him a copy. In his turn, Dylan told them how he was settling in. He had done so very easily indeed. He had anticipated being overawed by the atmosphere of the place, after his own public school education - instead, he found it so easy, as if he had been there before. He had anticipated getting lost in the maze of corridors, but he navigated them so easily. All in all, Dalton was good for him. Jeff was so pleased to see his cousin so happy, and when they parted after breakfast, it was with a promise to keep in touch.

By the time that Nick and Jeff returned to the confines of room 36, the others were awake, dressed and ready to leave. Trent had class first thing in the morning, so he and Rory left first, hastening to the airport for a flight back to DC. Before they left, David had cornered him and enquired as to his college schedule - when he discovered that he had Tuesday afternoon free, he hit on a plan. After a quick chat with Nick, he sent the now departed Trent a text, asking him to make his way to New York for dinner with Wes at the loft on Tuesday night. His reply came swiftly, and was in the affirmative. Convincing the New York contingent was no issue either; the only members of the inner circle that had an issue were Jasper and Brad, who had classes on Wednesday morning; he told them to skip them, something that would no doubt have earned him a glare of disapproval from Wes had he been there, and even found them a cheap flight. Combined with the promise of a bed somewhere, and a cab to the airport for an early flight back, the two agreed. Arrangements made, they all left the school that had been their home, and indeed in many cases, the place that had saved them.

Whilst most of their number headed back to their current home, David and Thad remained in Ohio. The latter was coming back to stay with David, knowing that he would hardly be welcomed with open arms if he returned to his parents. They had been frosty towards him ever since he had announced that he would not be following them into medicine, and his coming out during such a high profile court case had only made the divide all the greater - not that his parents were homophobic, far from it. They just did not want him to announce it in such a way that it was one of the evening's main news items back home. Mrs Thompson was more than happy to have him stay with them - and once she discovered that he knew all about Simon, she was even happier to see him. She had always been concerned about how bottled up David kept his feelings on the issue, and to see him now telling people in the aftermath of Wes' death made her happy. She knew that it still sat inside him like a cancer, but if more people knew, maybe he could recover and stop letting his memories rule his life. The fact that he was the boy that Wes had loved just endeared him to her all the more.

The following morning found David and Thad up early, and heading back to Dalton. The school was busy when they arrived, with staff and pupil beginning the week with the usual Monday classes. They parked in a quiet corner of the car park, and began to walk to a spot that they had visited two days before. They carried with them a rose bush and a spade. They had picked it up the previous afternoon; it had roses of a beautiful red and yellow, although these were beginning to fade now as the season wore on. That did not matter - they were taking it to plant at a spot where it would be safe and sheltered; where it could grow for years to come and bloom again and again, hopefully at this time of year. When they finally reached the spot, they both stood quietly for a moment, admiring once again the breathtaking view from the spot. It was so quiet for a place so close to the school; to Westerville and all of its bustle. Then, they turned back to the spot where the turf was still slightly raised. With a smile, Thad sank down to his knees and laid his hand upon it, and whispered three little words - "Happy Birthday, Wes." He did so without any fear of tears, particularly as, as he had uttered them, David had placed a hand on his shoulder so gently. "So, that's you twenty-two now. I hope that you are not going to be one of those guys that always says they are twenty-one again. Of course, we both know that you aren't - in fact, from what I remember, you aren't even twenty-one anymore - you'll be twenty, the age you were when Finn was killed. Is it wrong that I feel slightly jealous of that?"

"No, Thaddie," said David, "it isn't. I wish I could stay young forever too. The thing is, when we join him again, we will still be teenagers. Only just, but hey, we will be younger than him in eternity."

Thad nodded, then stood up again. "So, given that we can't give you a cake, we decided to bring you a present. The roses are the same variety as the one that you wore at the wedding, and because David told me how much you hate cut flowers, I brought a bush. A discrete marker for the spot, and something that will live on through you."

With those words, David started to dig a hole close to the spot of turf that marked where they had placed Wes' casket less than 48 hours before. They had considered planting it right above him, but then realised that the bush's growth could be compromised by the box below it; that it might leave the plant stunted and unable to flourish. So, after checking with the internet, neither of them being very clued up in the art of gardening, they had chosen a spot close enough to mark the place, but far enough away that the bush would grow well. The ground was soft, and David was making quick headway, when they heard a cough from behind them. They turned, and saw Principal Carmichael and his wife standing there. It was obvious that the two of them had also decided that the day needed to be marked in some way by the look on their faces, which showed a grief and pain that all of them were trying so hard to conceal. Both boys knew just how close they had been to Wes; how they had looked on him as a son. They had not planned to be in the same spot together, but somehow it felt right that they were. Mrs Carmichael was a keen gardener, and she was able to advise them on the planting of the rose bush. That done, they all stood in silence for a few minutes as they thought about the young man that they had all lost; that they had all loved and cared for in their own way. They knew that he had felt the same about them. Eventually, they left as a group, the boys accepting an invitation to lunch.

By the end of that day, the spot had been visited by Ethan and Drew, still in the state, but packed and ready to head back to England to resume their studies; Jasper and Brad, who had taken advantage of some free time from class to make a quick trip to mourn their leader and friend; and finally, at the end of the school day, the current group of Warblers had made their way up the hill, and had sung together. They sang nothing specific, no tune chosen for the occasion - they just all agreed that Wes would like to hear them sing. He did like it, although only a few of the group actually spotted him as he stood by the tree, smiling at them all the time. He was alone, having eschewed the company of the others that day. They had all understood his need to be alone; all of them had felt the same on their first birthday after their death. Now that they were angels, the day had less significance - it was not as if they grew any older and the date now only marked the moment that they came into the earthly realm. It was a different story on earth, where the date made people as sad as the anniversary of the date they left the world behind. So Wes just watched, as he had done since first thing that morning, only making himself visible to the Warblers as they sang briefly. Just a short glimpse to let those boys know that he was there and that he appreciated their efforts. It was the least that he could do for them.

The following evening saw all of the Warblers that had been close to Wes gathered in a loft in Bushwick. Trent had skipped his one early afternoon class to leave Washington at lunch time; Jasper and Brad had been dragged, almost howling and screaming, from the campus earlier than planned by David, Thad threatening them with the gavel if they did not comply. Ethan and Drew were due to fly back the following day, and so had merely moved their flight from Ohio to JFK up a day. Nick had been grateful that he finished class early on a Tuesday, as it gave him time to rush home and start to cook for the biggest dinner he had ever done, so far at least. He had never prepared Fettuccini Alfredo for so many before, and to make matters worse, Kurt was actually going to be able to taste his version for the first time, and pass judgement. Then there was the small fact that he to prepare and bake several Treacle Tarts. He had the loft to himself, and that helped, as much as he loved his husband, sometimes his presence in the kitchen could be a hindrance - and a distraction.

By the time that Jeff arrived home from college, simultaneously with the arrival of Cooper and Grace, Nick had the food all prepared and everything running to plan. He was sent to the bedroom to get changed by Grace, who took over the administration of the kitchen. There were twenty three people expected for dinner, and every seat in the house was out and ready, along with every chair from the other loft. Plates and cutlery had also been stolen from the other loft, and Grace had brought some more, along with a box full of glassware. Cooper hung around with her and they chatted away about their day as she watched the pots that covered the top of the stove. Her brother seemed to have turned into quite the chef, and she almost laughed as she recalled that barely a year ago, he and Jeff could barely boil an egg between them. There was a wonderful smell coming from the oven from baking sweet pastry, and she had to stop Cooper, and herself for that matter, from opening the door to allow more of the aroma to fill the room. She was glad when the first knock came at the door, and she could send him away to answer it.

Dinner itself was quite a raucous affair. The noise was almost unbearable at points, and on one occasion, Thad had to resort to bringing out Mr Bangy - although he handed him to Wes to bang hard on the table. One moment when there was total silence was when Kurt lifted his first forkful of pasta to his mouth. All of them knew how proud had been of his version of Fettuccini Alfredo; all of them knew how critical he had been of Nick's version as a watching angel. When Kurt simply closed his eyes and sighed, they waited with bated breath; when he gave the thumbs up, they all cheered, whilst a bright red Nick was showered with kisses by Jeff. When the Treacle Tart was served later, Jeff was not the only one that wished to kiss Nick, so delightfully sweet was the simple dessert. Then, of course, they sang, as they had always done after every Warbler event - old favourites were performed, along with a couple of new ones. Cooper even stood up and sang one of his songs from _Kinky Boots_ \- he did so with such passion that he left the others in a stunned silence, and a strong desire to be there on his opening night. Then it was time for them all to head their separate ways - by foot, train or even in the case of Jasper and Brad, by plane. It had been a good night, and they all knew that it was one that they would be unlikely to be able to repeat soon. It was good to know that one day, in a heavenly Dalton, they would be able to meet like that all the time, reunited in their youthful prime in the place that meant so much to most of them.


	60. Discoveries

**Discoveries**

The next few months were difficult for everyone concerned. None of them avoided having a moment in which they really missed Wes - and not just the Warblers either. Even Burt Hummel had a moment sat in his office, looking over some legal issues on one of Rory's college days, when he suddenly realised that the only person that would understand the real ramifications of the thing was Wes. Of course, seconds later, the young angel in question was sat on his desk, and reading the papers. His visits were, as he had intended, sporadic and short - and he never sat properly on a chair anymore either. He had decided that it would be better for all of them, himself included, if he restricted the amount of time he spent with his friends on earth, and threw himself straight into his new work as assistant to Elizabeth. He dispensed with the normal notions of taking a few months to adjust. His boys in particular had to get used to the idea that he wasn't going to be around so much; that he couldn't just drop everything and come when they cried out. They had to learn to stand on their own two feet just that little bit more. This attitude helped David and Thad to bond even more closely a friends. They both missed Wes a great deal, but in his absence, they learned that the other often had an answer to the problem they were suffering. For both of them, the other was the one Warbler that really got just how much Wes' death had affected them; had experienced the same level of pain. Mrs Thompson had also more or less adopted Thad as one of her own. That was just as well, as the strained relations between Thad and his family had finally broken down completely. By the time that Thanksgiving came, he had stopped talking to all of them, bar his middle brother Ollie. He had called him up one night, after Thad had finally told his parents to go to hell, to tell him that he thought he was really brave to stand up to them, and tell them no to working in medicine; that he admired him for it, and that he wished he had been given the courage to say the same. The fact that at least one member of his family understood where he was coming from made Thad happy - he had at least a small link to his past.

Thanksgiving is, of course, a time for family. Thad found himself invited to spend the holiday in Ohio as a guest at the joint celebration between the Thompson and Jones families. He could not resist pulling David's leg continuously about his family Thanksgiving with his future in-laws. Nick and Jeff spent the day in Vermont with Jeff's family - the Sterlings, Mrs Duval and her parents were also invited. Nick's grandparents took quite a shine to young Luke, and helped no end in keeping him cheerful whilst Duncan was having his own dinner with his family. Dylan was home from Dalton for the day, and he regaled them all with tales from his first few months, always mentioning how strangely familiar the place seemed - how he could find his way around with no issue, when both the younger boys had still got lost on occasion in their senior year. As he put it, it was almost as if he had been there before.

Trent and Rory spent the day in Ohio with the Nixons. Burt and Carole had been invited too, and had accepted, as long as Cooper and Grace could accompany them. The Hummels were in loco parentis after all to both boys, and it would not have seemed right to them to spend the day with only one of them this year. The two younger boys managed to find time early in the day to Skype with Séamus and his fiancée Becca, as they celebrated in a low key way in St Andrews. Not far away from them, Sebastian spent his day in the company of Dave and Paul Karofsky. The day was a great success, the three of them getting on well in each others company. Sebastian managed to find a quiet moment to corner Paul in the kitchen, and ask him for permission to marry Dave. The older man said yes; Dave would later say that it was just as well when he was told, as the two of them had been engaged for nearly three months. The secret was finally out to one person, and the rest of the day was spent in celebration of both the name and the secret engagement.

In New York, it fell to Mike and Tina to organise a lunch for the waifs and strays, as the latter put it. Quinn was the first to accept an invitation, as Puck would be on duty all day, and she did not feel up to dealing with her mother on her own, her sister having already stated that she would not be heading home. She took time of course, as she did every year, to call Shelby and wish both her and Beth a Happy Thanksgiving. Beats and Flint also joined them from Princeton - they had neither the strength or the energy to head home to Ohio. Neither had the inclination either - Beats' sister was pregnant for the fourth time, and Flint's mother had still not forgiven him for getting a tattoo. So they claimed pressure of school work, and instead crashed in Nick and Jeff's room in Bushwick. They also had Skype guests in the form of Ethan and Drew, as they celebrated with the other ex-pats at Oxford. Phone calls were also being made between the various groups; they all found time to talk to Santana and Brittany as they spent the day at the Pierces; to Sam and Rachel together at the Evans house in Kentucky; and to Puck quickly as he sat in a guard room in Virginia. In the back of all their minds was the remembrance that the day also marked the closeness of the first wedding anniversary of Kurt and Blaine, and that the bulk of them had been able to see angels for a year.

That day itself did not go unmarked on earth, and it was certainly marked in heaven, where Elizabeth, Finn and Wes organised a small party in their honour. It had been a generally happy first year as husbands, but they had suffered their lows too, not least in those weeks when they had been forced to hide their knowledge of the fact that Wes would be joining them sooner rather than later. It was at that celebration that the idea was first mooted by Wes. All of them had to agree that it did have a lot of sense behind it. They made their first requests the following day - that all of their friends should assemble in New York for the Christmas holiday, for one final grand celebration as a group, before the ties of marriage, work and children made such things impossible for many, many years. As for the venue - well the success of the day relied on both Santana and Cooper being able to do them a massive favour…

In the meantime, Wes was keeping himself busy on a side project of his own, as well as his work for Elizabeth. He fitted it in during the evenings, and on the days when she insisted that he should take a break. He had started to trawl through page after page of records in an attempt to track down two people that had meant so much to some of those that he had left behind - Jamie Carmichael and Simon Thompson. He was facing an uphill struggle in both cases. In the former case, it was down to the fact that so many years had elapsed since his tragic demise; in the latter, he had to deal with the fact that the boss of the Alabama section was strict, and not a fan of either Elizabeth Hummel or Ohio in general. Knowing that Christmas was fast approaching, he redoubled his efforts in the hope of solving the mysteries before the big day came. He thought that he had achieved a breakthrough when he finally found the necessary files on Jamie, but he was to be disappointed. He found that the young man in question, feeling so very lonely and unable to find any kind of contact within his close friends and family, had opted to return to earth for what would be his souls fifth and final time. He had done so over 20 years earlier. Finding out where his soul had gone was far easier than he expected - but when he got the information, it left him shocked. He turned to the only person he could, and when he spoke to Elizabeth, she was able to give him the advice that he needed. She left the final decision on what to do with the information to him. After much deliberation, Wes made a trip to Dalton a few days before Christmas - not to the school, but to the home of his former Principal, and friend, Aaron Carmichael.

He found him dealing with a stack of paperwork that he had been left with after the last meeting of the governors. Wes could sympathise with the man, as he was fast becoming used to being confronted with such volumes of paper himself. He received a warm and enthusiastic greeting, the papers being swiftly pushed aside, as the man stepped forward to shake his hand - but then pulled him into a hug instead. He let him talk about the latest events at Dalton, and how well the Warblers were doing in the show choir competition this year. Wes moved the subject round to how the newest members of staff were doing, and in particular, Dylan. Aaron Carmichael's face lit up at the mention of his name - he was quick to sing the praises of Jeff's cousin - not only because he was a talented and inspiring teacher, but also because of how he had fitted in to the ethos of Dalton at once. "It is almost as if he had been at the school before," he finished.

"He has," said Wes, much to his surprise. Wes let the older man stare at him for a moment, before he continued. "You remember that souls travel to earth five times before they get to remain in heaven in the main - the fifth time being at the choice of the soul in question? Well, Dylan's soul was here at Dalton, in the body of someone else, on his fourth visit. He chose to come back a fifth time, and by a quirk of fate, he ended up in the body of someone that would end up here. Dylan won't remember being here, but that is why he fits in so well…" Wes stopped and watched as the older man nodded. Now he just needed to break the news…

"He was our boy, wasn't he?" came a voice from the doorway. "I am right, Wesley? Dylan was Jamie…."

Wes turned to the door, away from the shocked Aaron, and saw Mrs Carmichael standing there, a smile on her face. He could only nod his head at her.

"I guessed that he might be a little while ago. He just seemed to fit in too easily - so one day I asked him a question that only Jamie would have known the answer to, and he gave me the answer straight away. Then I invited him for tea one day, whilst you were tied up with a meeting, Aaron. Before he arrived, I removed the little silver clock on the mantelpiece in the sitting room. It was the one that Jamie bought me on my birthday the year that he died. Dylan had never been in that room before, but the first thing he asked me was where the clock was… He doesn't know that he has lived here before, and he can't ever know, as it might just be too much for him to cope with. But he is our son, Aaron. He is Jamie, under a different name and in a different body. I would know his ways, his manners, his soul anywhere…" The silence in the room that followed as she came to sit down by here husband made it obvious that he agreed with her.

Wes looked at them both, and spoke. "I have talked it over with Elizabeth, and she is also adamant that he can't be told. You can't change the way that you treat him either. He is now Dylan Mackenzie, son of Moira, half-brother of Flora and Luke, the cousin of Jeff Sterling-Duval."

"We can care for him in different ways, though," said Aaron Carmichael. "We can keep him in a safe position; extol his virtues to Marie Lefevre, so that, in time, he can rise through the ranks here at Dalton; maybe he might end up as Principal here himself one day…. We can treat him like we did you.."

"You can, and you should," said Wes. "He will be happy that you are around to support and advise him as he embarks on his teaching career. He will love you for it. It won't be the love of a son for his parents, the kind of love that Jamie would have given you, but the love of a young man to his mentors. The kind of love that I have for you. Now, I don't know about you, but I think a cup of coffee wouldn't go amiss…"

Having delivered the first of his revelations, Wes sat back as Mrs Carmichael prepared coffee and her husband found the recordings of the Warblers performances at Sectionals. He was disappointed that he could not bring Jamie back to them - he had hoped to find him as an angel somewhere. Nonetheless, he had given them good news, and had no doubt ensured that Dylan's career at Dalton would be long and successful in the process.


	61. Big Brothers

_So, the tale is nearing its close - only four more chapters. Thanks for reading!_

 **Big Brothers**

When Christmas Day finally came, it was almost as if Nick and Jeff were getting married all over again. Everyone that could get to New York had done so, as per their angelic invitation. The New Directions and Warblers had all responded exactly as they had been expected to, although as the sun rose over the city on that cold, crisp morning, Puck and Jake were still en route, having spent the day before with their mothers in Ohio. Many of the others would be leaving the city early the following day to return to family. This year they had decided that Christmas Day was for each other. The Schuesters, Shannon Bieste and even Sue Sylvester were in town. All of Wes' Warblers were in town, Ethan and Drew having arrived back from England the previous day. To everyone's surprise, Jasper and Brad had arrived with Seth, Edward, Colin and young Skylar in tow. This meant that a rapid rethink was needed on accommodation; fortunately, the four extra guests had brought airbeds with them, and so all they needed was space on the floor in Nick and Jeff's loft. Jeff's mother and cousins were once again installed at Cooper's house, along with Duncan; his parents were spending the day with Jeff's aunts, and all four were expecting a relaxed and quiet day as a result. The previous night, Nick and Jeff had taken the cousins ice skating at the Rockefeller Center, along with the four young Warblers. The looks on all of their faces had been priceless. Some of the others had tagged along, but not Burt and Carole, despite an invite being issued. For Burt, that spot bore too many memories yet of a Christmas two years before, when he had brought Kurt a present and left 'it' there. He just wasn't up to going there yet, and he might never be at this time of year…

They were all aware of the big plans for the day. They would be having a joint Christmas lunch at the otherwise closed Spotlight Diner. It was to be a late one, as Cooper and Grace would be at the soup kitchen for most of the morning and part of the afternoon. When he had announced this, they found that Sam, Mercedes and to a lot of people's surprise, Dave and Sebastian, would be more than happy to join them. After the lunch, they would be heading to the Al Herschfeld Theatre. Kinky Boots, like every other big show in town, was dark that day - but Cooper had managed to obtain a set of keys, and as a result, they had a Broadway stage on which to perform…

Of course, not all of the plans that had been made for that day had been publicised yet. Wes had a surprise planned for David; Rory was to receive one from Trent; and everyone was going to get one from Sebastian and Dave. The latter two had both woken up early that morning and had exchanged small Christmas gifts. Sebastian had bought Dave a new pair of football socks, and had then proceeded to fill them with as many bags of M & Ms as physically possible; Dave, in a remarkable bit of synchronised thought, had filled half a shoe box with bars of chocolate, then filled up the remaining space with Custard Cream biscuits, which Ethan had brought over with him at Dave's request. Their main gifts to each other were in much smaller boxes, and they would exchange them at the diner later. As they lay together in bed, snacking on M & Ms and Custard Creams, they knew that this was going to be quite a day for them. So much so, in fact, that Paul Karofsky had been invited to join them for the meal at the diner. He had accepted, and was booked into a quiet hotel in Murray Hill. Dave had wanted his dad there today of all days; Sebastian had not been going to deny him. His own parents were not really in the equation anymore; neither had even asked what he was doing for Christmas. It didn't bother him - he had a family of his own that accepted and loved him.

The first of the big surprises that day came to Rory Flanagan. As was always the case now when they came to New York, he and Trent had spent the night in Sam's room in the big loft. They had been woken far earlier than they would have like by an overexcited Brittany, who had charged into the room and shaken them awake, to inform them that Father Christmas had been and left presents. Then she had charged off to the next room, leaving an apologetic Santana in her wake. Neither of them really minded. It was after all their first Christmas as fiancés; the first when they would spend the whole day together, after they had endured separate meals the year before. They made their way eventually to the kitchen, where they discovered that Carole had already made herself busy, and there was food aplenty. They both ate their fill, but made sure to leave space for the Christmas lunch that they would eventually enjoy, conscious that it would also be plentiful in quantity. Then it was time for gifts to be exchanged, although if Brittany had had her way, they would have done so hours earlier.

Rory failed to notice as he observed the excited blonde opening gifts that both Trent and Carole were watching the clock and exchanging meaningful glances; both smiling as they knew everything was going to plan. As gifts were exchanged, the noise in the room grew and smiles grew larger. Rory presented Trent with an Aran jumper, which he had asked his Nana to send him from home, and a new watch. The latter made Trent laugh - this was explained when he handed Rory a similar sized box, which also contained a watch. Both of them had been engraved with a message of love and devotion.

"And in an even stranger bit of coincidence, I got you a gift from Ireland too," said Trent - and at that moment, there was a knock at the door. Carole got up and went to answer it as Rory looked at Trent in expectation. "The thing is, it was a bit big to get it wrapped, so I have arranged for it to be delivered…" By now, every set of eyes in the room had turned to Trent, but as Carole returned to the room, all eyes turned to her, and the young woman that she had with her; a woman that none of them knew. Rory felt that he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn't place her. "Ah, that will be your gift now," said Trent, a grin stretching across his face from ear to ear. Suddenly, beside the young woman, another figure appeared…

"SEAMUS!" screamed Rory, jumping up and running across the room to fling his arms around his big brother. As the two of them hugged, Trent let everyone in the room know exactly who the two people were, and then made his way over to stand by his fiancé's side. The moment that Rory saw him, he grabbed him and pulled him into a warm embrace. "This is the best Christmas gift ever! I love you, so, so much! But, how did you manage it?"

"Well, me and Carole did a bit of sneaking around," Trent said, winking at his co-conspirator. "I might have spoken to Séamus myself to ask him what his plans were for Christmas… He told me that he had no fixed plans - he wasn't heading home to Ireland certainly as his relationship with your parents has deteriorated rapidly to the same level as yours. Your Nana is spending Christmas day with the Flynns, just to rub your mother's nose in the fact that their intolerant actions had cost them their family. So, I offered to fly him over here. He said no at first, but then I pointed out that if Becca was coming home to visit her family, as she was, then he could spend time with her and his future in-laws. Then, as her family do not celebrate Christmas in a big way, they could come up to New York to spend Christmas in the madhouse…"

It was only then that Rory realised who the smiling young woman at his brother's side was. He had seen photos of her, but this was the first time he had met Becca, and now he had more or less ignored her…

"I see what Séamus meant when he said that you would be excited," she said, when he apologised for ignoring her. "It is nice to finally meet my future brother-in-law, even if he did just ignore me…"

"Likewise…it is nice to finally meet you too. Thank you so much for looking after him - he does need someone to do that for him…"

Before Séamus could call him out, Becca burst out laughing, and then held her arms open. "So, do I get a hug now?" Rory immediately obliged, as Séamus pulled Trent into one too. There would be other introductions to make; other conversations to have, particularly the one where Séamus thanked Burt and Carole for looking after his brother so well; the one where Burt told Séamus to call him by his first name, not Mr Hummel. All in all, the day had got off to a wonderful start, and it proceeded to get better. Séamus and Becca had joined the others at the breakfast table when they all felt the now familiar draught of wings, and they were joined by Kurt. He was alone as Finn was on a collection - Christmas Day did not mean that death stopped happening after all, and the work still had to be done; and Blaine had gone to see Cooper and wish his brother well. Séamus looked up and smiled at him, which they had all been lead to expect by Rory - but when Becca smiled too, and asked Kurt how he was, there was a moment of stunned silence. It transpired that she and Séamus had met one night in the Halls of Residence in their first year, when both had heard the voice of another angel and come to investigate. It was a great relief to them all that they were welcoming someone else that could see into their midst; it made everything a lot simpler.

The group in the new loft increased by size again shortly after, as they were joined by Nick, Jeff, Mike, Tina and the four young Warblers. There were introductions to be made, although of course Nick and Jeff had met Séamus in Edinburgh in June, so for them it was just a happy reunion. He had not forgotten them, and presented them with a small wedding gift that he had had made specially for them - a pair of patchwork cushions made from a combination of Duval and Sterling tartans. As the house filled up, Carole was in her element, never happier than when she was looking after a group of young people. Food might have begun to be an issue, though, and she was grateful when Nick and Mike presented her with several Tupperware boxes filled with cookies. Nick had cooked up a storm the night before with help from Tina; Jeff was at work, and Mike had initially just watched from the sidelines. Then Nick had handed him an apron and a bowl, and had instructed him in the art of cookie making just as Kurt had done back in their Dalton days. Mike's batch of cookies was back in the loft, and they all had to agree that for a first ever attempt, they were pretty good. Nick had also prepared several boxes of cookies just for himself and the cookie monster that he had married. The only reason that there were any of them left was that he had made sure to bake them on a night when Jeff was not there to test them all as they emerged from the oven.

Back on the other side of the landing, however, the loft was not empty. They had all waited to head over to the big loft until after David and Thad had arrived. Nick had been asked by Wes to give him a chance to talk to the two of them on his own, and he had happily agreed to empty the house at the relevant time. They had left them alone, and the scene was set for the second of the day's big surprises. Wes had been waiting in the living room when David and Thad entered, and had hugged them both warmly when they stepped in. He pointedly ignored the sprigs of mistletoe that seemed to lurk in every corner - that was newlyweds for you. Then again, he thought that it was unlikely that Niff would ever leave that phase of being young and deeply in love. He motioned to the two of them to sit down, and made small talk initially, about college, Mercedes, and their future plans and hopes. He in turn told them all about his job, his new home and finally, his first collection, which he had undertaken the week before in the company of Finn. It had not been an easy experience, he had to admit, but he knew that this was going to be a big part of his life from now on, so he just had to get used to it - he had no choice, he had to do them. Moving on, he told them about some of the people he had met and made friends with; people that Kurt, Blaine and Finn knew well, as well as a handful of people he had met himself.

"There's one guy in particular that I have really hit it off with. He is the same age as me; he is kind, funny and good looking to boot. Now, don't look at me like that Thaddie - I don't like him in that way; that is you, and only ever you. No, I have the same kind of relationship with him as I have with you Davie - best friends. I thought that to avoid either of the two of you getting jealous, I should ask him to join us here today for a few minutes. He is officially on duty, but I really wanted you to meet him, so I managed to negotiate him a short break."

David and Thad looked at each other and then smiled. "I suppose so Wes. It would be nice to meet someone else from the angelic realm - get their own personal take on the whole thing," said Thad, David nodding in agreement.

"Ok, you can come out now," said Wes, and a moment later another angel walked out of the kitchen hesitantly. David took one look at him, and his mouth dropped open; his eyes were out on stalks. Thad looked and though immediately that he looked a lot like… "Guys, this is Simon," continued Wes, "but you knew that already, didn't you Davie?"

Thad suddenly got it. Wes had traced David's big brother, his old friend; and his Christmas gift to them both was to reunite them. He took David's hand, feeling at once that his friend was trembling as his mind processed what was going on, and what he was seeing. The brother that he had lost all those years before was a man now. David was so glad to see him, but his heart ached, as much as Simon's must be, because he could not get up and run over to hug him, which was exactly what he longed to do.

"Hi, Davie," said Simon, his voice wavering as he spoke to his little brother again for the first time in a decade. "It is so good to see you, little brother…"

"It's so good to see you again too, Simon… I'm sorry. I am so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadn't pretended to be sick; if I had gone with you all to church that day…"

"Then you would have seen me die. Because like Wes, like your other friends, I was in the book to die. You think that it was bad to be told that I had died? Trust me, if you had been there, you'd have been right beside me, and you would never have recovered from witnessing it at close quarters. You and Wes would never have been such good friends, as you would have ended up in the asylum…" He stopped and turned to look at Wes. He knew too what would have befallen David had he been there that day; how he would have been left with his face splattered with the blood of his beloved brother as his head… Wes couldn't even think about it.

"He is right Davie. He would have died like me anyway, regardless of what else happened. You can't blame yourself."

"I certainly don't blame you, Davie. I am so glad that you lived on; that you had Wes to step up and look after you. That you found such good friends at Dalton - friends that will take care of you for the rest of your life. And Wes tells me that there is a special lady in your life too…"

David blushed at the mention of Mercedes. "Yeah, there is… I would love you to meet her some day - she can see too, so it is more than possible… that's if you want to see me again. If you can see me again…"

"They will not be able to stop me now. If you call for me, I will come as soon as I can. I promise. I want my little brother back in my life. I have missed you so much. Getting Wes back was great, but having you too…."

"I have missed you so much too…" said David, before he started to cry, just as Simon was. Thad placed an arm around his best friend, near to tears himself, noticing that Wes had done the same for Simon. To be honest, Thad was near to tears himself, so happy was he for his friend. He was so proud that Wes had thought to do this.

Thad and Wes eventually left the two brothers alone to talk for a while, and headed into the kitchen. He laughed quietly as Wes grabbed a stool, climbed up on it so that he could reach up to the top of the wall cabinets, and pulled out a cookie box that had been pushed right to the very back, so that it was invisible from the ground below. "It is one of the advantages of being an angel that you can read minds when you need to. That is how I knew that Nick, having undertaken a massive cookie baking session last night, would hide at least one box of gingerbread cookies up here, away from the eyes of Jeff." He opened the box and offered it to Thad, who took one, and bit into it as Wes took one for himself. He laughed as Thad's face was instantly suffused with pleasure. "Nick is an excellent baker; if he were not so passionate and talented about the law, then he could quite easily have made it as a pastry chef." He bit into his own cookie and held out the box to Thad again, who promptly helped himself to three.

"One for me and two for David," he said in response to the look on Wes' face, his mouth full of cookie.

"I believe you," said Wes, taking two more himself, "but thousands wouldn't." He shut the box, and put it back where he had found it. The two of them wandered back over to the door, where they could stand and watch as Simon and David talked.

"It's such a shame that he isn't solid like you, Wes," said Thad sadly. "That his mother cannot see him. I almost wish that we could have invited her to Nick and Jeff's wedding, so that she could have been there to be given the power to see angels with Brittany's spell."

"I don't know that Mrs Thompson would have wanted that. She is a woman of very strong beliefs. She believes that she will see Simon again when she gets to heaven herself. To have him around as an angel, not to mention the fact that she would be seeing me and the others too - I don't know that she could cope with that. We have to be content with what we have. I am sure that Davie is. He has his big brother, his Simon, back in his life. His absence from it has scarred him. Now that he can see him again, maybe he can move on; maybe he will find opening up about his feelings easier from now on. That is what I hope anyway…"

Thad knew that Wes was right. David was being more open with Mercedes and with him for that matter, but he still held so much back. Looking back, he had always held his emotions in check. When first Kurt and then Blaine had died, he had cried far less than the rest of them, at least in public. Thad knew now that he had wept profusely and sobbed for hours on his own, and when he was with Wes. David had always seemed so strong and unemotional to him, but now he realised that this was just his default defence mechanism. Now, with the loss of his best friend, he had been forced to become a much more open book; and he had chosen Mercedes and himself as his new safety valves. It worked both ways as far as the two of them were concerned. They were there for each other in the moments when the memories hit home. The question now was would David ever open up and let the others know about Simon? They had discussed it, the three of them, and David had reluctantly agreed that he would have to do it eventually, at least for the sake of his own sanity. Of course, what Wes had done today had brought the issue to the fore. If Nick, Jeff or Mike came home right now, they would doubtless wish to know who the angel David was talking to was. That however, was for another day. Time was getting on, and they had a Christmas lunch to get to.


	62. Preppy Boy

**Preppy Boy**

Simon and David parted with none of the sadness they could have felt - after all, this time it was not forever, and they had arranged to meet up in L.A. before the year came to a close. Any pain that David did feel afterwards was swiftly erased when Thad handed him his two cookies; one bite into Nick's finest creation and he was in love. Thad ate his own second cookie at a more sedate pace than he had consumed his first and when they had both finished, they crossed the landing to join the others in the larger loft. They were greeted warmly - although Nick suddenly scowled at them and rushed over to sweep the cookie crumbs off their jackets, muttering about Wes and how he was going to have to start and booby trap things. Jeff told him off for saying that initially, until Nick pointed out to him that the crumbs came from his special, Jeff only, cookies, after which he refused to talk to either David or Thad, at least until the two of them bribed him with chocolate. Then it was time to head to the diner, where dinner was being prepared under the watchful eye of Santana. She had been assisted by Quinn, Sam, Brittany and Artie more or less from the start; Kitty and Marley had arrived next - they had been accompanied by Mrs Rose, but she was shooed from the kitchen and told to relax - after all, she cooked for a living every day. Ryder and Jake found themselves working under Puck, helping with the arrangement of furniture and the setting of the tables.

The Bushwick contingent were almost the last to arrive, those who had been helping out at the soup kitchen having beaten them by five minutes. The atmosphere quickly became quite noisy, as people caught up with each other in conversation. Nick had hastened through to the kitchen to see if he could help, and had been sent back out, although the cookies he had brought had been welcomed. It was inevitable that as they waited, people began to gather around the piano and singing started. On top of that, Luke and Duncan were running amok, showing everyone the promise rings that they had exchanged that morning. No-one minded at all, even Sue, who had to admit that she was developing a soft spot for mini-Jeff and his boyfriend, even more so since they had all found out from Nick, with the agreement of Duncan's parents, exactly who his brother was. She was in full support of the campaign that had been started to get Tommy O'Hara a reduction in the length of his sentence, and the fact that both Cooper and Burt had signed up to support it meant that things were going well and looking hopeful. If the campaigners had their way, Tommy would be spending next Christmas with his family in Vermont, of that Sue was confident.

The group that had been at the soup kitchen had, like Mrs Rose and Nick, tried to enter the kitchen, but they had also been chased out, on the grounds that they had served hundreds of lunches already that day themselves. It had left them all tired, but happy. The philanthropic version of Cooper was one that Grace was falling for a little more each day. She had half expected to receive a ring that morning, but so far, she was disappointed. She was quite happy to wait though - she knew that in good time, there would be one forthcoming. As for Dave and Sebastian, they were both positively glowing, having enjoyed the experience immensely. The smiles on their faces showed that to everyone. Only one person had managed to inveigle themselves into the kitchen - Carole had just ignored Santana and started working away to everyone's amusement. In the diner itself, the group were joined by four angels, and Wes was the one that noticed that two people were still missing - Beats and Flint. He knew that they had left Princeton on time, so he was curious as to were the two of them where. Then the door to the diner was flung open, and the two of them were seen - and everyone could see at once that everything was not well, just by the thunderous look on Flint's face.

This became even more obvious to them all by the fact that Flint, having opened the door with a scowl on his face, now virtually slammed it shut again in Beats' face. The latter had, however, seemed to have been expecting it, and came in behind him, shaking his head. That gesture got a reaction from Flint, who began to growl quietly about "people having a cheek to complain after what he had done."

"So, domestic disharmony in Princeton," said Sebastian in a half whisper to Trent and Nick, standing on his right.

"Seems like it," said Trent, "and you know what that means…"

"A Warbler intervention," said Nick. "I'll grab Flint; Sebastian, you go and grab Beats; Trent, go and round up the others - emergency meeting in the men's room, for want of a better and more private spot?"

With a nod of heads, they set about their tasks. Nick had to enlist Jeff's help in his task to drag Flint to the chosen meeting spot, and then keep him there until the others were all present and correct. Thad and David both raised an eyebrow at Nick's choice of location, but in the end, Thad pulled out Mr Bangy, and banged him down on the counter between the wash basins, and there was silence. They all felt a draught at that point from three sets of wings as Wes, Blaine and Kurt joined them. Now that everything was settled, Thad called the meeting to order.

"This meeting has been called, in this most unusual but private location, to establish the reasons why Warbler Flint Wilson and Warbler Nathaniel 'Beats' Harper are…"

"…acting like a couple of petulant schoolgirls."

Thad banged his gavel and turned his eyes on the person that had just spoken. "I would thank you, Warbler Smythe, to let me finish my sentences. But yeah, good way to put it! So, is there any reason why the two of you are acting this way? I assume that there has to be. I am sure that we would all like to know what has taken place to make one of the longest established friendships within the Warblers fall apart in this manner. So, Flint, would you like to tell us what is going on?"

"What is going on is that _he_ has placed me in a position of such mortifying embarrassment that I can't even look at him, let alone sit next to him, without feeling total revulsion. He has acted in a way that has brought shame, yes shame, on me and on the Warblers at large."

"That's not fair Flint, and you know it!" Beats interjected. "Just because I didn't tell you about it before hand. How was I to know that you would end up there?"

"That is beside the point, and you well know it! If it is all so right and proper, when are you intending to tell all the others gathered here what you are doing? In fact, why don't I save you the bother and tell them for you? You want to know why we have fallen out? It is because Beats has taken up stripping, for money, in a gay bar."

There was silence. Jaws had dropped open, eyes were wide open. There was not a sound to be heard apart from the steady drip of water in the cisterns. "Yeah," said Flint, much more quietly, "He has taken up stripping…"

"Well, if that is your sole complaint, I am assuming that you would regard Honorary Warbler Sam Evans in the same light?" said Jeff, almost defensively, glad that the young man in question was not there.

"I take it there has to be a bit more to this story," said Wes. "So, please, start at the very beginning."

All eyes spun back onto Flint, but it was Beats that spoke. "It all started just before Nick and Jeff's wedding. As you all know, I had got a job as a busboy at an Italian restaurant to help me pay my way through college. What none of you know, not even you, Flint, is the reason why I needed to take the job. My family have big financial worries, and so I had to work as my parents couldn't afford to give me an allowance. So when the owners of the restaurant were forced to make staff cuts, and I was let go as a consequence, I was in big trouble. Even now, with the money that Wes left me, things are still very tight. Basically, my college fund had to be spent on ensuring that my sister and her children did not lose their home. Her husband walked out on her, and left her with so much debt… So, I needed a job that paid well, if I'm honest. One of the other busboys told me that his brother owned a bar, and that he had a vacancy, but that it came with a big catch. The bar in question is a gay bar, and he needed a new 'entertainer' to join his established troupe. I knew what kind of entertaining it was at once, and my first reaction was no, no, no. Then Flint handed me a bill for my share of the power; and my friend told me how much I could expect to get paid. Two nights later and I find myself at a bachelor party, and I see Sam doing his stuff. I get talking to him afterwards, and he told me the whole story behind his alter ego as 'White Chocolate.' I went back to Princeton after that weekend and accepted the job offer on the Monday. The thing is, Sam had even shown me some of his moves on the Sunday, so I was prepared for my audition…"

There was silence again for a moment, and then, still in a small voice, Flint spoke. "Ok, I guess I could have lived with the fact that you were doing it. I would have got it if you had told me. What hurts is that we are supposed to be best friends, and you didn't talk to me; didn't tell me the truth. You told me you were working at the Dairy Queen for goodness sake…"

Flint stopped as Kurt looked at Blaine and started to snigger; Blaine then capped it all by laughing out loud. "Sorry, guys, but that is the same excuse that Sam told his mother when he was stripping. I mean, Beats, come on, couldn't you think of a better one of your own?"

"I tried, but Sam had mentioned it, so in the end I decided to use it. Anyway, I got the job, and to be honest, it wasn't that bad - no thongs or touching. Just the oil and the glitter… Oh, my God! Wes! You knew! You offered me tips on how to remove glitter in your note…"

"You had some under your ear," said Wes. "I swear that I had no idea what you were doing, although come to think of it, there wasn't much you could have been doing to get glitter on your face."

"Anyway, I got the job, just had to develop my own U.S.P.; they already had a cowboy, a construction worker and a football player. My new boss told me that the big advantage that I had over the other guys was the fact that I was young… Suddenly, the bachelor party and Sam's performance were in my head - and I knew what I was going to do. I guess that at that point I should have come clean to Flint. I owed him that honesty, but I was so afraid that he would think I was a freak and be ashamed of me…"

"Yes, you did owe me that. After all, we live together, go to school together. Instead, I had to find out in the worst kind of way months later… So, the place where I work is full of women - they are all pretty cool and we get on. So when they invited me to join them on their Christmas night out I said yeah, why not. We went to a restaurant, had a great meal. They suggested that we go on to a bar. I could have said no, pleading my age, but they all knew about my visits to the bars here in Manhattan, so they knew that I had to have a fake ID. Of all the bars to end up in, we ended up in a certain gay bar with a male strip show… Well, not much shocks me these days, and given what I've seen in the club here, I didn't run… So, I barely watched the cop and the cowboy. Then another act was announced, although I barely heard the introduction for the screams and shouts. One of my colleagues told me that the guy up next was supposed to be young and hot. She screamed as he stepped out onto the stage, and that made me look up - and there he was. Beats. Aka The Preppy Boy. In a school uniform, which, like Sam, he proceeded to take off. I couldn't take my eyes off him. In the end, I ran out of the place without even saying goodbye to the girls. I headed home, but my mind was in bits…"

Flint paused, his face looking every bit as drawn as it must have done on the night in question. "So, I was left with a choice. I could have said absolutely nothing and waited for him to tell me. Or I could confront him with it the minute that he walked through the door. In the end though, my body chose option three - fall asleep on the couch. So, it was the following morning when I finally got my chance to talk to Beats."

"And take it from me guys," said Beats, "that discussion was not pretty. Things got heated darn fast. I think the line that hurt me the most was 'Up there like some two bit whore, disgracing the uniform.' It wasn't as if I was even in a Dalton uniform! I'd gone for black slacks, with a red blazer with no piping. No actual school crest, just a plain old letter B on the breast pocket. I don't know even now how I 'disgraced the uniform' given that I was wearing a fake one."

"The style was the same," Flint snapped back. "The whole ethos of the prep school system is in that type of uniform - but ok, I admit it, it was a low blow. I was angry and I was upset. I just didn't know - and still don't, by the way - why you didn't trust me enough to have warned me. If you had told me, then maybe I wouldn't have had to watch you…"

"Only maybe, Flint? Is this some kind of unrequited crush that you have on me?"

"Yeah, right - you wish. It just isn't how I want to see my best friend, ok? I mean, not without some kind of warning. I always thought that I was your wingman… I mean, why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because I was ashamed," said Beats quietly, his eyes downcast. "I guess that I never ever gave any thought to the idea that one day my circumstances might sink so low that I would need to…. There was always plenty of money; never any reason to imagine that it would ever change. But then, my parents suffered from one bad investment after the other, and my sister's husband left her… He left her with so much debt that she was going to lose her house. She has two kids already and I have a third niece or nephew on the way. The only way that it could be avoided was for my parents to divert the last big sum of ready money to her - my college funds. My fees are all paid for, but my living allowance, well, that's gone now. I have to support myself on food and rent. The money from Wes will help a great deal…"

"But it still hasn't been paid out yet. Although his will is clear and it is perfectly legal in every way, the Montgomery's are trying to challenge it. Greed for his money. They won't win, but in the meantime…" said Flint, who was now looking at Beats with sympathy.

"Yeah, so once I lost my job, I had to eat into my meagre savings, and they were soon going to be depleted. I needed money. I rationalised the whole thing to myself as only being dancing, as long as nobody touched me. And it is, when it comes down to it. But I still felt so ashamed, so dirty and cheap. However, the money is good, and… I wanted to tell you Flint, I really did. Sam had told me that you had to stay focused on the job, not let the shame take over, and to do that, you had to be careful who you told. The fact is, you're my bestie, and I didn't want you thinking badly of me. I didn't want to run the risk of losing your friendship…"

"And you thought - what are the odds of me walking into a gay bar near Princeton and catching you in the act? You know something - I am the one that needs to apologise here, not you. I've behaved like a complete ass. I should have let you explain the situation to me, instead of going off half cocked. Do you know something? I am proud of you, and the way that when you faced adversity, you got out there and did something about it. You had to support yourself, for the first time in your life, and you did what you had to to achieve that. And from what I saw, and from what I heard, you seem to be pretty good at the job…"

"I should have had faith in you and confided in you. I judged you too, you know. So, now that everything is out in the open, can we go back to the way we were? I miss my bro…"

"Me too, Preppy Boy…" Flint's words made the whole room laugh, and then cheer as the two hugged each other. "So, maybe you could show me some moves sometime? Be handy for impressing the ladies…"

"No problem. They certainly seem to impress the men, judging by the number of $50 bills I get thrown at me…"

"Ok, so I am going to ask the question that everyone wants to," said Sebastian. "How much a night, on average?"

"Tips and wages? About $300 - usually about $1000 a week." There was silence as they all did the math.

"Any vacancies?" said Flint, and once again they all laughed out loud.

"Right, harmony restored," said Thad. "Time for dinner; meeting over." With a bang of the gavel, he lead them all out.

At the rear came Beats and Flint. The latter held his friend back for a moment, then whispered "Do you think that there could be even more money in being the Preppy Boys?" Beats just stared in shock as Flint gave him a wink. If he didn't know him better, he would be convinced that his best friend had just suggested that they should become a stripping double act…


	63. Broadway Stars

**Broadway Stars**

Christmas dinner at the diner turned out to be a noisy affair, with happy conversation filling the air. Care had been taken to seat Paul Karofsky, the one person in the room who could not see angels, as far away from the spots where four angels were joining in the Christmas meal with their friends and family. The catering skills of the group had been tested, and they had proven that they could do it. It had been no easy task for Santana and her army of helpers to pull off - to cook a three course meal for so many was a challenge to start with, but when you had to factor in dietary requirements, likes and dislikes - well, it turned in to quite a task. They had been lucky in some respects that Rachel was the only vegan in the room; Santana had scoured the internet and had found some dishes that fitted the occasion, but did not require massive amounts of work to achieve. In the experimental stage, they had tasted the dishes, and there had been a moment when one of them had nearly taken the place of a more traditional dish on the menu. The noise had died down briefly for a moment whilst the food was being consumed, but afterwards it seemed to rise to a new crescendo. After the meal, it inevitably became time for more singing, and it did keep people occupied as the dishes were being conveyed to the kitchen and placed in the dishwasher - after all, the place had to be left shipshape and ready for business the following day. This time it was Santana that found herself banished from the kitchen, alongside Brittany and Quinn, with the Warblers taking over. Jeff had been warned that Nick's life was on the line if the place was not left absolutely pristine. When Santana checked later, after an Unholy Trinity reunion at the microphone, she was pleased to see that her faith in Jeff's ability when Nick was threatened had not been misplaced.

It was soon time for them to move on for the second part of the day's entertainment. However, as everyone began to gather up their coats, Sebastian suddenly took to the stage and asked for hush; this was largely ignored in the clamour of the room until after a pleading look in his direction, Thad pulled out Mr Bangy, and slammed him down on the counter, bring the room to complete silence in a second.

"Wow. Say what you like, but that gavel always does the business… ok folks, now that I have your attention, I'd be grateful if Dave could join me up here…" As the young man in question made his way to the stage, there was a buzz of anticipation. They could all guess what was about to take place. "It has been quite a year for me personally. What with having all my dirty laundry aired in public at the Criminal Court in February; travelling around Europe for a month in June with a group of guys that I do not hesitate to describe as my best friends; and then of course, seeing two of them tie the knot in August… On that day, none of us could have realised that in less than 24 hours, we would all lose a very dear friend. He would not want us to dwell on that, or the fact that so many of us faced death ourselves that night. Dave and I found ourselves staring down the barrel of a gun - it seemed that we were doomed, and so Dave blurted out that he would have asked me to marry him; and I might have said that I would have said yes. Of course, the NYPD turned up, and as we lay on the floor in Duane Reed, I proposed to him - and he said yes…" There was a gasp of delight from the audience as he said those words with a huge grin. "So, yeah, we have actually been engaged for four months. None of you noticed, apart from one person…" he paused and glanced over at Wes meaningfully "…that we had swapped our rings and now wore them on our ring fingers. We said nothing at the time because we didn't want to steal the spotlight from Trent and Rory. But hey, they've had their time now!" Sebastian stopped, and looked out at the room; at the sea of smiling faces, everyone so pleased and happy for them. Then he heard a cough, and he turned round to see that Dave had sunk down on one knee, and was holding out a ring box.

"Sebastian, you are the most wonderful person to have ever come into my life. I admit, when we first met, you infuriated me, but we both changed, and some of the things about you that used to annoy the heck out of me are the very things I adore and love about you. You complete me. You make me able to stand up and be honest about who I am. So, in the proper stance this time, will you marry me, Meerkat?"

"Ah, Dave, what can I say? You help me feel human; you stopped me being quite such a bitch; and for some reason, despite my flaws, you love me. So, yes, I will marry you…" Dave grinned, and opened the ring box to reveal a ring of such simple grace and beauty that it made Sebastian cry as he slipped it onto his finger, having removed his own angel ring from his hand first, and returning it to his own. Sebastian then repeated the process with the ring that he had bought for Dave, and his own angel ring. Only then did the room burst out in cheers and applause, all of them so delighted for the two young men on stage, although just a bit annoyed that none of them had noticed that they had swapped rings all those weeks ago.

Then it was finally time to don those coats, hats, scarves and gloves; to leave the warmth of the diner behind and head across the city to the Al Herschfeld Theatre, for the second part of the days festivities. Cooper had managed to obtain a set of keys, and the permission of the management to open the place up and perform their own private Broadway show. All those that wanted to had been offered the opportunity to perform, and as a result could always say truthfully that they had performed on a Broadway stage. Rachel had declined the invitation to sing from the start, which had lead to several people asking if she was feeling alright, and not always in jest. For the four NYADA students in the group, the day became even more of a challenge - after all, how could they possibly decline this opportunity - when it was revealed that Carmen Tibideaux had been offered the chance to come and watch, and had accepted. They found her waiting in the company of Isabelle Wright outside the theatre on their arrival, and they all hastened to get inside again, back into the relative warmth. Those who were to perform first made their ways to the dressing rooms to prepare. They did not have much time after all until they had to open the show with their choice of opening number.

In the auditorium of the theatre, the remainder of the group occupied only a small area of the available seats, but they had taken care to chose the best in the house - in this case, not those right at the front, but those just a little way back. Coats had been left in the cloakroom, which was being organised by Grace - she had watched the normal attendants on more than one night as Cooper had taken a role. The bar remained closed, but there was a mock Playbill, prepared by Artie, whose talent on the computer was unchallenged by the others. Soon, it was the appointed time, and the bell was rung to indicate that it was time, even although everyone was already in their seats. Then the house lights dimmed, and suddenly, the voice of Rachel Berry could be heard from the wings as she spoke over a microphone…

"Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Al Herschfeld Theatre for this evening's performance; a one off spectacular performed by so many of my friends and yours. We start, as appropriate, with an opening number, chosen from one of Broadway's more recent hits…."

Music began to play as soon as she finished speaking, and the stage lights came up, to reveal Santana and Brittany, dressed in identical uniforms - those of theatre ushers. The number was _Opening Night_ from The Producers; they were joined in the end by Sam, Sebastian, Marley, Kitty, Sugar, Jake and Ryder as the audience members. They sang with gusto, all of them aware that they were performing not in a school auditorium, but on a Broadway stage. They came to the end of the song, and took bows as the audience clapped long and hard, before they all exited stage left.

"And now, for one night only," came Rachel's voice again, her tone suggesting her excitement, "please welcome to the stage four of the most angelic singers I have ever had the pleasure to have known. For the first time ever on Broadway, please welcome Wes Montgomery, Finn Hudson, and Blaine and Kurt Hummel-Warbler, performing for you know a medley of songs from _Jersey Boys…_ " The music started then for the first of the songs - _Sherry_. Kurt took the part of Frankie Valli, the others backing him, all clad in a Dalton uniform. In each song they subsequently sang, the lead singer was changed. They were perfect - every note was right on, each move appeared to have been practiced over and again until it was flawless. In the audience, Burt and Carole sat side by side, beaming with pride. The former was almost in tears as he realised that Kurt had finally achieved his dream, albeit singing to a much smaller audience than he would have hoped for at the time. Carole was so proud of Kurt - but when Finn took the lead in _Oh, What a Night_ , she burst into tears of happiness for him. Her son was there, on stage, making the entire room smile. He had not managed to make a mark on the world in live outside the small town environment of Lima - but now, as an angel, he was wowing an audience that was smiling broadly as he sung his heart out.

When their medley of songs finally came to an end, the audience rose as one to their feet and cheered. For such a small group of people, the acoustics of the building were so good that it sounded as if every seat in the house had been taken. On the stage, the four angels took their bows - they were tired, their faces flushed, but they all beamed with happiness as they lapped up the adulation. For Kurt and Blaine, this was what they had dreamt of for so long, the main thing that Hunter had denied them through his actions. Now, they had achieved the one thing they had always dreamed of - they had performed side by side on Broadway. Kurt's smile grew all the wider when he heard Carmen whisper to Isabelle that he would have made a magnificent addition to the cast of Jersey Boys in real life; that the role of Frankie Valli should have been his for the taking, had he lived.

For Wes, for whom performing had only ever been a pleasant pastime, to actually be standing up there, on the stage, singing to an audience on Broadway - to be quite honest, it had blown his mind. Finally, he got it. He realised exactly why the two boys had always wanted to do this. He felt so wonderful, so happy, so energised, mainly due to the adrenaline flowing through his veins. "This is the best feeling ever!" Finn suddenly whispered to him. Wes turned to look at him, and on seeing his huge smile, could only nod in agreement. It really was the best thing in the world.

It being Christmas, the four angels were followed on the stage by their friends, in a variety of combinations, singing the Christmas songs that they all knew and loved so much. They encouraged their audience to join in with the singing, as long as they were cheerful. Rory sang the songs that he remembered from his childhood Christmases in Ireland, joined by his brother in most of them. Ethan and Drew, having lived in England, discovered that they knew them too - after all, several of them had been played annually for four decades now - and joined in too. Santana and Brittany came back to the stage and sang _Christmas Wrapping_ by The Waitresses; the fact that they had both changed into their diner uniforms made it all the more authentic; and when Jeff and Sam kept gliding past behind them carrying trays, also in their uniform, the effect was complete.

After much persuasion, Kurt and Blaine finally bowed to the requests of Wes, Finn and Mr Schue, and sang _Baby, It's Cold Outside_ , the intervention of the latter confirming what Kurt had suspected for years - that he had overheard them all that time ago at Dalton. Burt was pleased to hear them sing; after all, what was Christmas without a Klaine duet? The two of them stood back and watched as Nick and Jeff gave their own interpretation of another of their duets - Niff's version of _Let it Snow_ was just a little bit more zany, but kept the dance moves, and the co-ordination - it seemed as if Mike had been helping them along with choreography. Of course, none of them knew that the evening before, WOHNTV8 had shown a repeat of the show in which Kurt and Blaine had performed that song; even in death, they could still entertain the good people of Lima.

After that, everyone expected the end. Time was drawing on, and nearly everyone had sung something. But as people began to make a move towards the cloakroom, the voice of Rachel was once again heard from the wings. "Ladies and Gentleman, may I ask you to remain seated, as we have two additional performances for you. Firstly, for the first and unfortunately the last time ever on Broadway, I give you a combination that we all lost; two brothers, united in song. So please, give a cheer for Blaine and Cooper Hummel-Warbler!"

Kurt, sitting next to Grace, turned to give her a look which said "Did you know about this?" She was sitting and looking at him in exactly the same way, so obviously, she did not. The music began for yet another song from The Producers; _There's Nothing Like a Show on Broadway._ The lights went up to reveal Blaine dancing away merrily on the stage. His choreography was absolutely spot on, which caused Kurt to turn and glare at Mike; the latter just tried to look innocent, but failed abysmally. Cooper eventually joined him on the stage, and tried a spot of one-upmanship - his showing off was all for nothing when Blaine simply flew across the stage, with a look that said 'copy this, big brother.' Their singing was perfect, Blaine taking the positive part, and Cooper the slightly more negative. They soon had them all in stitches, particularly when Cooper screamed the line "'til your in movies!" with an almost maniacal grin on his face. At the end their was loud applause, but also some sad faces. They had all suddenly realised that they would have been marvellous as a duo.

There was no announcement from Rachel as to who would appear next. They had all seen Thad vanishing as Blaine and Cooper had sang their last words, but then again, Nick, Jeff, Tina and Brittany had also disappeared. No-one had a clue what they could expect next as the stage lights went out, and for a brief moment, the auditorium was almost pitch black. Then the music began; a tune from the eighties. A spotlight suddenly came on, revealing Thad standing alone. There was a gasp from some of the Warblers, as they relived the scene from Dalton back in September. He had been wearing a big jumper for most of the day, but now it was gone, revealing that he had been wearing a T-shirt underneath it, printed with a picture of himself and Wes from the wedding. They had all just focused their eyes on that when a second spotlight came on, and revealed Wes. His Dalton uniform was gone, and he was wearing the exact same shirt as Thad. The tempo of the music increased, and Wes began to dance to the beat, whilst Thad stood still and watched. Then Wes began to sing _Together in Electric Dreams_ , the words altered very slightly to fit their situation better. Tina and Brittany appeared under a third spotlight to sing backing vocals, initially alone, but they were joined by the enthusiastic Nick and Jeff to belt out the lyric 'Love never ends.' Thad proceeded to take over for the second verse, his eyes giving away to them all exactly how much those words meant to him; just how much he had recovered and indeed moved on after the shock of losing Wes. Before him in the audience, his friends all smiled back at him broadly, overjoyed to see him so happy once again. In the aftermath of that terrible day at Dalton, many of them had despaired of ever seeing him smile so broadly again. On top of that, the fact remained that many of them had chastised themselves for not noticing the signs of what he was about to attempt sooner.

At the end of his verse, Thad and Wes moved to stand together, centre stage, arms wrapped around each other's shoulders, singing the chorus out, over and over again, along with their four backing singers. As they repeated it, their audience gradually joined in; first the Warblers, then the New Directions, and finally everyone else. When the music finally stopped, and the song ended, Wes pulled Thad tightly into his arms and held him close to his chest. Around the theatre, the various couples also moved closer to each other almost instinctively. Behind Wes and Thad, the only married couple of their generation so far, Nick and Jeff, were content just to stand and hold onto each others hands, their eyes locked onto each other and filled with a look which spoke solely of love. In the audience, Burt and Carole were sitting in the same position. Trent and Rory were wrapped in each others arms; Sebastian and Dave were kissing with passion, which was exactly what a 'newly' engaged couple should be doing. Santana and Mike had made their way to the stage, and were both now hugging their respective girlfriends. As she held the blonde girl close to her, Santana could almost hear Wes telling her to propose once again. She had to admit that she was very, very tempted to do that right now, on the stage, in front of all their friends. But…if Sebastian had been so good not to steal Trent's thunder by announcing his engagement when it really happened, then she could hardly steal his today, however much she wanted to. So, she contented herself with just holding Brittany close. She did decide one thing though - she wasn't giving Sebastian nearly as long as he had given Trent…


	64. Farewell Speeches

**Farewell Speeches**

It took a while after they had sung for Wes and Thad to finally pull apart. When they did so, Wes made his way over to the microphone and held up his hands to ask for silence. He was given it at once, although behind him, Thad had pulled Mr Bangy out of his trouser pocket just in case. This was noticed at once by Nick and Jeff, who promptly burst out laughing; however, as by the time they started to laugh Thad had slipped the gavel away again, everyone else just wondered what the heck had caused them to laugh so uproariously. Wes turned round and gave them a look; that look was enough for the two of them to fall instantly and contritely silent.

"Ladies, Gentleman and those that fall somewhere in between…" Wes paused instinctively and was grateful that he got the laugh that he had predicted "…I think that we can all agree that our little soiree here this evening has been an overwhelming success. For myself, it has been a bit of a revelation - tonight was the first time that I actually performed on stage. Before, when I was in the Warblers, I merely sang; tonight I had a character, albeit still dressed in a Dalton blazer. And the fact is, I loved it! I can clearly see now why quite so many of you aspire to stand up here, though hopefully you will perform to a larger audience. If fate had not sent me into the trajectory of a truck; if I had instead become a Hasty Pudding, then who knows - maybe the law might not have been my future after all. The fact is, none of us ever know exactly what our future is going to hold. In some ways, that is a good thing; in others, it isn't. Nor do we always know exactly what is going on in the world, not even in the lives of those that we are very close to and hold dear."

"Two years ago tonight, I was in my bedroom at home, having suffered through yet another long day of parental matchmaking. I was unaware that Sebastian had been whipped, and that everything was about to fall apart at Dalton. Finn was spending Christmas with his mom at his aunt's, unaware that it was to be his last one earth; Kurt and Blaine meanwhile had been reunited for the day by Burt and the first tiny signs of hope that their fractured relationship could be repaired had appeared. I think most of us were happy and content on that day…. Fast forward another year though, and things were very different. Two more Warblers had been left scarred physically by Hunter; had finally got their act together; and then one of them had lost his parents as a consequence. Three young men had been sent to their deaths by Hunter's actions. It was also around this time that I was pulling up outside the Hummel house in Lima, with Sebastian covering for me. I admit it here tonight - he told everyone that he was the one that was fleeing his family - in fact, it was the other way round. I slept that night on the floor in his bedroom; but he went on to tell everyone that he had slept on the floor in mine. He really was a true friend that night - I don't think I ever told you how grateful I was, Seb, so I'm doing it now." In the audience, Sebastian blushed as everyone smiled at him; darn Wes for revealing just how nice he could be!

"And, so, what of this year? Well, we got the justice that we all craved for our friends and then watched as the love of two young men went in the space of just over a year from seemingly one sided to marriage. The day that Nick and Jeff got married has got to go down as one of the best days in my life, and not just because I saw those two goobers get hitched, but because I finally summoned up my own courage and kissed the love of my life! But then…well, you all know what happened next. I got my wings and misery was universal. For a few days, it seemed as if everything was lost, and then an unexpected miracle occurred. Suddenly, the world was a better place. All in all, it has been a year of ups and downs; highs and lows; but we have got through the worst, and thanks to a liberal dash of young love and growing bonds of friendship, well, I don't think that we can really complain, all things considered…"

"I know that some of you have said that if Hunter never came to Dalton, none of this would have happened; that if the New Directions had just accepted their loss, and Sam had kept quiet about his suspicions, then none of this would have happened. I have to admit that I did have my own thoughts in that direction at the time. As I now know myself, it would have made absolutely no difference to the outcome; once your name is in the book, and the time of your death has been decreed, then that is what happens to you. An error may occur, but in the end, you will die. There is no escape clause, and if you do escape at first, things rapidly get nasty, as Blaine will testify. So, rather than looking at the negatives that have happened, let us instead look for, and celebrate, the positive things that have taken place because of our deaths."

Wes paused for a moment, to take in the expressions of those listening to him, and had a quiet internal chuckle to himself. "I can see by the aghast looks on some of your faces that you think I should be certified for even suggesting something like that, but for a moment, just think…. Would Nick have realised just how much he loved and needed Jeff in his life if the horror of what they went through with Hunter had not made them all the more dependant on each other at Dalton? If Kurt and Blaine had not died, would Rory ever have left Ireland, or would he be alone and miserable in Dublin today, whilst an equally lonely and depressed Trent would be sat here or in Washington DC? Would Sebastian have done his complete U-turn in life? Moreover, would he even be living here in the United States, or would he still be in London, leaving Dave alone here? Would Cooper still be chasing that elusive big role in L.A., rather than about to be a Broadway star? Would he even have met Grace? I don't know, but one thing that I am certain of is this - all of these events can be traced back to Hunter arriving at Dalton. More importantly, my lovely Jeff would not have found his birth mother, his aunts and cousins had it not been for his blackmailing. They say, do they not, that out of tragedy, good things can emerge. We have the proof that such a statement is true in all of the things I have mentioned. When you add in the new bonds and friendships that have emerged between two groups that were not so long ago bitter rivals, then death is not such a bad thing after all. I mean, who would ever have imagined that Satan and the Meerkat would end up as the best of friends?"

"Most of us still feel the pain of our losses though, and we probably always will. I lost my chance to be with the man that I love and adore; had two kisses - mind-blowing kisses at that - and then had to leave him, knowing full well that I was about to die and break his heart. All four of us have lost the chance to have children of our own; there will not be a Tracey and a Hepburn looking to Kurt and Blaine as father figures. That doesn't mean that Burt and Carole will never be grandparents of course; what with Cooper and Rory regarding them as their parents these days - well, I think it is safe to assume that their children will fill the void. In fact, given the fact that the majority of the New Directions regard them as an extra parent, they are likely to end up with so many that they may well end up in penury as a consequence. I do not think that either of them would want it any other way, though…" There was laughter around the room as Carole nodded, and Burt just smiled. "In fact," Wes continued, "I think that there is a little something that will cement what I have just said in the offing…"

"Yes, there is," said Burt, turning to Rory who was sitting right next to him. "We couldn't really say anything one way or the other until now, as it is an unusual process to go through at the age of all the parties involved - and before any of you ask, no Carole isn't pregnant. I saw that look, Puckerman… No, I can speak now because I have finally had a chance for a face to face talk with someone that is closely involved in the situation for the first time - we have communicated by E-mail until now; had talked a few times on the phone. But as I say, today was my first chance, and he approves of us…. So, basically, now that Séamus has said yes to the idea, I can now at last announce that Carole and I will be officially 'adopting' Rory as our son. His parents may not care what happens to him, but we do. He will stay Rory Flanagan, but legally, he will be mine and Carole's son."

As people around the room smiled, and as a few tears were even shed, some of them by Rory himself, the young man in question said, "And I couldn't be happier than to be able to say that Burt is my Dad, and Carole is my Mom." As a chorus of delighted awwws echoed around the room, Trent took his fiancé in his arms and held him tight. Suffice to say, he was equally delighted about his new in-laws. It had all been a huge shock to him; he hadn't even had an inkling that such things were being discussed. All the conversations about it must have taken place in Burt's office, he assumed. He could not be upset by the fact that he had been kept out of the loop - after all, he was going to have Burt Hummel as a father-in-law, and would be invited to join the select company that called him Dad, no doubt. True, he and Rory had always agreed that they should have no secrets, but this one was ok. He looked at the delight on his future husband's face, and fell in love with him just a little more in that moment. Around them, there were smiles on every face. Some did wonder if by adopting Rory, Burt was also kind of adopting Séamus, but no-one voiced the thought.

"Before anybody asks," Burt continued, "I did ask Cooper if he would like me to adopt him formally as well, but he declined; not because he did not want me and Carole as parents…"

"Because we all would!" came a disembodied voice, most probably Puck.

"But solely because such a move would have placed me in direct contact with his parents, and he did not wish to subject me to anymore of their attentions. He has taken my name already, and he has said that if and when he ever has children, they will be instructed to call us Grandma and Grandpa anyway, so that's good enough. However, back to the point, and what Wes was saying. He was right - he usually is. Finn, Kurt and Blaine would have died, whatever happened. If we want to go down that road, well we can't start with 'If Sam hadn't done x…' because then we have to say, if Kurt had never gone to Dalton and met Blaine, would this have occurred? Then where do we go - should we blame Puck, because he encouraged him to go and spy; should we blame Will for reviving the New Directions in the first place; and should we even go as far back as to say that if Elizabeth hadn't died… I could go on. Things happen, and they do so regardless of what choices we here on earth make. We just have to be grateful for what we do have. We can still see the four of them, by some lucky chance. A combination of the strong bonds of love and friendship, and the power of two people that had the belief, the faith and the gift to see angels; two people that saw Finn at his funeral. Brittany you all know about, though maybe you didn't know that she could see Finn first…"

"It's why she didn't come to the memorial in the choir room, wasn't it? I assume that he was there that day?" said Rachel.

"I didn't want to see him cry," came Brittany's reply. "So I stayed away and sent Lord Tubbington instead…"

As those that had been there that day tried to recall the presence of her cat, Finn suddenly said "Yeah, he's a good guy. Bit of a rogue apparently back in Victorian England; but in death, well, he makes me laugh…"

There was stunned silence for a moment as suddenly one of the greatest mysteries of all time was finally solved. "So, you mean to say that Lord Tubbington is an angel?" said Santana. "Ok, so know that I can see angels, now that we all can, how come we never actually see him?"

"Because you all keep looking at my cat when I am talking to him, and he has to stay away from my cat, because he is allergic to cat hair," said Brittany.

Burt shook his head and then started to speak again. "Anyway, time for another revelation. The other person that saw Finn at his funeral was me. I started to see Lizzie about two weeks after my funeral, when after a stressful day I asked her to tell me what to do to help Kurt. I have seen her off and on ever since. God knows that she was a big help when Kurt came out; she was there in the background, making sure that I did the right things when I was completely unsure what those were. She approved of Carole from day one. So, yeah, I saw Finn at his funeral, and several times thereafter. He knew in advance what was going to happen to the boys that night in New York, and it broke his heart; it frustrated him that he could do nothing to prevent it. Now, this is going to sound so wrong, but I am going to say it anyway. I think that death was the making of Finn. He is doing a job that is challenging, but it is one that he loves. He is helping others, and that is what he was always destined to do. His appearance these days is, dare I say it, dapper. He has lost so much in death, and yet he carries on. All he wants is those that he has left behind to be happy. I am so proud of him; both myself and Carole are. Actually being able to touch you again, all four of you - that is a wonder, and the best gift that any of us could ever have asked for."

No-one in the room could disagree with that last statement. The fact that they could see and hear those that they had lost had been wonderful; the ability to hold them again, to enjoy a meal with them, just to feel their touch exceeded everything. "In conclusion," said Burt. "We must look to the future. There will be weddings, children and laughter ahead. There will naturally also be tears, but they are not something that we can avoid in this life, however hard we try. But we all know one thing; none of us will have to go through any of what life throws at us alone. We have been bound to each other by circumstances, but also by love and respect, all tied together by four young men. That is their true legacy; medals and scholarships are great, and let the world at large no just how much we valued them. What we have though is worth far more than any of that. Every one of us here would go out of their way to help another of us. And well - that's it. I guess that I will see most of you again this summer when I gain a new son-in-law. Until then, I wish you all good health, peace and love."

"Hear, hear," said Wes. "I guess that means that there is only one thing left for me to say…" With that, Wes burst into the final song from _The Producers_ , in which he was joined by the others, leaving the audience laughing. When it finished, hats and coats were collected from the cloakroom, farewells said, and once again, the Al Herschfeld Theatre fell silent, the lights turned out. All those in the earthly realm made their way home, or at least, back to wherever they were staying that night.

On the stage, however, Wes Montgomery lingered. If the truth was told, he felt quite sad watching them all go. Moreover, he had made such plans for this day, before his untimely death. This was to have been the first Christmas that he spent with Thad as his official boyfriend. He had planned to invite him to his little apartment in Harvard, so that they could spend the day together alone and free from interruption. Of course, there was only one bed, but that had fitted in with his plans too…

"Penny for your thoughts," came a voice, and Wes turned to see Finn standing there. "Let me guess - you and Thad, and what you would have been doing today if fate had not snatched you away from him?"

"Yeah. I had plans for Christmas; just the two of us alone together. Phones switched off - no work, no school, no Warblers. Just us. I was even thinking about what I would have given him as a gift; I'd decided that it was too soon for a ring… Today has just made me realise…."

"How much you miss him? I know how that goes.. I miss Rachel every day, but she and Sam are going to be happy, so I'm happy. You and me are in the same boat, sort of. Kurt and Blaine got to keep each other. The two of us came alone. The thing is, you will get him back in the end, and until then, you and I can always get together when Kurt and Blaine are getting all romantic. That's if you would like that…"

"I would actually, very much. Anything that is going to stop me worrying about him, because I do. He is better, he isn't as depressed, but he still has his black days. The others are looking out for him, particularly David; and Trent and Rory have invited him to join them in Washington DC for the New Year. But, I just can't help but worry about him. I just love him, so very, very much."

"I feel the same about Rachel, trust me. Thad will survive this. He's getting stronger by the day. Now that he knows what the future holds, where his life is taking him, he is so much better. Dalton is calling him back. He sees it as his safe haven - heck, all of the Warblers do, even those that suffered so much under Hunter whilst there. Plus, he gets to be close to the spot where they buried you. You know, I think that he will be a legend as a teacher; a triumph as both faculty advisor and Head Warbler. Now come on Wes - it's time to head home. As I speak, Kurt is baking cookies…"

Wes shook his head and smiled. With one final look around the theatre, he flexed his wings, and followed Finn back to the heavenly version of the city.


	65. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

As the final moments of 2014 counted down, no matter where they happened to be, all those that had been fortunate enough to have known four young men were thinking of them. The year before, when only three of them had had their wings, they had all been gathered in Times Square, waiting for the ball to drop in the chill night air. This year was different.

Thad found himself sitting with Trent, Rory, Burt and Carole in Washington, being made to feel that he was part of an extended family. It was inevitable that Burt would try to offer him family support and he was more than happy to accept it. He had tried several times to reconcile with his own parents, the last time at Christmas, but to no avail. His brother, Ollie, had called him up on the big day, and they had talked for some time. He felt that his brother was slightly jealous of him, but he understood why and so he didn't mind it one bit. He knew deep down that he had never wanted to be a medic either, but he hadn't been as brave as Thad when it came to standing up to the parents. Thad knew too that had it not been for the support that he had always received from Wes and the others, he would no doubt have ended up conforming to his father's wishes too. As he sat there in Washington, listening to the happy chatter amongst the others, he made his first resolution for 2015 - to spend more time with his brother.

It was also inevitable that most of the group would still have converged on New York, and as it happened, they came together once again at the Spotlight Diner. After all, when you have seen a ball drop once… The place had been manic for most of the night, but as the midnight hour finally approached, the crowds began to thin out. This meant a welcome rest for those that were actually at work. Santana had taken her turn and had offered to work the evening, so that Gunther could take the night off. He had thanked her, and agreed - but in the end, he had come in with his wife anyway, only this time as a customer. The place had run like clockwork, mainly because Santana had ensured that she had the best staff in place to help her - her friends. Brittany was inevitable as she was working; Sam had volunteered after it emerged that Rachel had a cast party after the show that night; Jeff had announced that he too wished to work, which meant that she had gained Nick as an unofficial extra pair of hands; and finally there was the newest addition to the team - Mike. He had come to the conclusion that he needed to find a part time job, so that he wasn't eating into Blaine's money too much, or relying so heavily on his family. Santana had heard from Jeff that Mike was trying to find a job, and well, it was obvious that he should come and work with his friends. With him that night was Tina, naturally; that Dave and Sebastian should appear with Beats and Flint in tow was also no big shocker - the speck of glitter behind Flint's ear was a surprise though. Artie and Kitty were the last two to arrive, having had a quiet dinner elsewhere beforehand. The night was going so well, that none of them could have anticipated the bombshell that was going to be dropped on them just after the clock struck twelve…

They were not joined by their angelic friends that evening - in fact, none of them were. As David and Mercedes hugged each other in Ohio; as Puck and Quinn exchanged greetings on the phone, the former on duty; as Cooper and Grace danced around the room in Murray Hill, there were no familiar draughts felt. Nor had there been in London five hours before as Ethan and Drew had joined the crowds on the banks of the Thames to watch the big firework display as Big Ben rang out. Instead, the group of angels had gathered in Room 38, Wes' apartment, for a brief celebration of their own. Finn and Blaine both had collections scheduled for the early hours; and almost as soon as Blaine would return, Kurt would be off on one of his own. Each collection they had to make was different in nature, but they were all becoming more numb to the circumstances now. The trauma of having to go and collect Wes had helped to make them much less of an ordeal for both Kurt and Blaine. So that evening they had only half an hour together, gathered round the piano. Finn and Kurt both marvelled at just how well Wes could play now, after only a few lessons from Blaine. It was obvious to them all that playing the piano was just another of the many talents that Wes had hidden away. There was singing, naturally, and they allowed themselves a small glass of sparkling cider each to toast the new year. Then it was time to part, leaving Kurt and Wes alone in each others company, to sing some more and enjoy a slice or two of Kurt's first attempt at a Treacle Tart. It was good, Wes thought, but not a patch on Nick's. Not that he said anything, of course…

It was just after midnight in the diner. Sam was talking to Rachel on the phone; Jeff had been pulled into a booth by Nick - not that they feared kissing in public, as Sebastian and Dave were, alongside Brittany and Santana, but because Nick just wanted to hold his husband close to him in a quiet spot, and finally have him all to himself for a few short minutes for the first time that evening. They had been spotted by Gunther as he walked by, and he just shook his head, remembering how in his youth he had done much the same with his then girlfriend on their first New Year's Eve together. The diner was very different then - no singing, no dancing. That was how it was back in his parents' day - the presence of a jukebox had been the sole concession to the changing times. His then girlfriend was now his wife… His parents could never have predicted a day when two young men, or two young women for that matter, would kiss quite openly on the premises. Times had moved on, and the city, always at the cutting edge in these matters, had moved forward. There had been bad days, but now they had been overcome and the prosperity had returned, albeit from different things than it had been in his youth. He loved the city, and that was why what he was about to do was done with a very heavy heart.

When he asked Santana, after they had exchanged best wishes for 2015, to step into the office with him for a moment, she could not have anticipated what he said to her. She had never imagined that he would decide that his plan to take it easy and cut back a bit was no longer enough, and he and his wife had decided on a new course of action. When he stepped out again, he left Santana in shock, and nearly in tears. She sat there for a moment, and then pulled herself together again. She made her way back out into the diner proper, just in time to see Gunther and his wife saying their farewells to the others, before they headed off home. Looking round, she saw that the only people left in the Spotlight Diner now were her friends. Sam and Mike had begun to wipe down the tables; Jeff and Nick were cleaning up behind the counter; even Sebastian was taking glassware in the direction of the hatch to the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" Santana turned to see Brittany standing at her side. "What did he say to you that made both of you so sad?"

"He has decided to retire completely. He's going to sell the diner…" She stopped, and looking up, she realised that everyone had heard her. Sam's mouth was hanging open in shock; Mike just looked sad; and Jeff looked as if he was about to burst into tears at any minute.

"When?" said Nick quietly.

"Not at once. He has already had an offer from a chain…"

She stopped again as she heard Sebastian groan in disappointment. "Great! Another Chipotle or Olive Garden!" he said, each word dripping with bile. "Just what we need! I like this place the way it is!"

"My sentiments exactly, Meerkat. And his. Which is why he has just offered first refusal on the place to me, well us… He knows about our legacies from Blaine. He also knows that we all have a future away from here, which is why he suggested that we all take a share. He thinks that we could quite easily run this place ourselves, and we wouldn't spend all our money if we acted as a group."

There was silence. The good thing was that no-one was saying 'No way'. Jeff was looking at Nick, almost in hope that he would say something. Sam was nodding, his face betraying the fact that he was deep in thought. Brittany had turned to Santana with an excited look on her face, and that was a good sign…

The silence was broken by Dave, to everyone's surprise. "So, is that offer of a group buyout only open to the existing staff, or could anyone chip in? I'm assuming of course that Seb might want to…"

Santana looked across at Sebastian and saw a twinkle in his eye. "Well, any of us, I guess. So, we have been given a couple of weeks to discuss it. Talk it out. Look into the pros and cons of owning a successful diner in a prime location in New York." Again, there was silence, but there was an air of excitement in the room, coming not just from the staff, but from their friends that were there solely as customers that night. Could they? Should they?

It looked as if 2015 was going to get off to an interesting start….

 _TBC (Eventually!) in The Spotlight..._

 _So, I will be taking a short break before I post next. I also think that the new story will not be quite as long!_

 _In the meantime, I have an idea for a story outside this 'verse and it may come along first.._

 _Thanks as ever for reading!_

 _739678._


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